This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering another Summer 2015 Season series. This time it’s Classroom Crisis Episode 01 Impressions.

Plot Synopsis: Set in a future where interplanetary space travel has become possible, a space aeronautics mega-corporation named Kirishina Corp. has opened an academy on Mars, and a specialized class in that academy, named A-TEC (Advanced Technological Development Department, Educational Development Class) contains especially talented students, spending part of their time in class, and the other part of their time working to develop rocket engines.

Plot: So far the plot seems interesting, especially with the twist at the end of the episode. That being said I’m not entirely sure I’m going to enjoy this series as much as Charlotte, and certainly not even close to as much as Gate.

Characters: Iris is seemingly one of the leads, but as this is only the first episode I’m not entirely sure about that. Despite that uncertainty she’s probably my favorite out of the cast except for Nagisa who might turn out to be a real awesome character. The rest of the cast is good so far, but we didn’t get much interaction with them as of the first episode.

Art: The art is pretty good, nothing along the lines of ufotable, but still good.

Music: The musical score was excellent in the first episode, and I particularly enjoyed the ending theme performed by ClariS.

Overall: This may be one to watch, but it also might not be. Another episode or two may make or break the series in terms of enjoyability.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-classroom-crisis-episode-01-impressions/feed/0PC Gaming Problemshttp://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/pc-gaming/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/pc-gaming/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 13:27:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27601PC gaming has many benefits to it, but there's always gotta be one thing that keeps it from being the perfect experience.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/pc-gaming/feed/0Getting Technical with Poly Bridgehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/poly-bridge-steam-early-access/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/poly-bridge-steam-early-access/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 13:45:47 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27583This week Billy is taking time away from reviews to look at an Early Access game on Steam called Poly Bridge. Should it be on your watch list?

This week I’m here to talk to you about a neat little game called Poly Bridge!

Poly Bridge is a game that requires players to test their minds while building bridges for various types of vehicles to cross over. It’s currently in Early Access on Steam and it seems solid at its current stage.

The bridge building genre of puzzle/simulation games is one that doesn’t often get much attention. I’ve played a few of them over the years and have found them to be quite enjoyable. However, these were games I could play in my browser. I’ve never played one that tried to take it further with a full release on a service like Steam.

I’m not an engineer, but I play one on TV.

Poly Bridge put to rest my worries that the game was going to be just the same as other bridge builder I’ve played real quick. I was afraid it would just have a new coat of paint, which it does, and nothing else. Instead, the game offers a variety of tools to build bridges with. A quick example of this is hydraulics that can be used to build draw bridges. This is a necessity as some levels will have boats that will completely destroy any brides in their way.

The menu system of the game also works well. A small wheel of different tools and materials that can be used to build bridges can be brought up wit the simple press of a button. Players that really get to know the game can also use number hotkeys to access these tools, which makes for quicker bridge building.

While the obvious goal of Poly Bridge is to get vehicles from one side of a river to another, there’s also a secondary goal. This goal is to use as little resources as possible. Each level will place limits on how much money the players can use and what supplies are available to them. This means that creativity and solid builds are really going to go a long way.

Honestly, I sometimes lack in this department with bridges that just look like a mess of wood and steel held together with a lick and a prayer. Granted, there aren’t anything like lives in the game. So players are free to keep trying until they complete a level or frustration sets in.

Bridges can get really complex really quick.

One of the fun things about Poly Bridge is that is supports Steam Workshop. This means that players have the ability to download levels made by other players. This offers extra challenges beyond what the vanilla game includes. A sandbox mode is also included for those looking to make and upload their own levels. Potential trolls are foiled early on as levels must have been completed by their creators before they can be uploaded. The community is also strong here with 327 user-created levels being available as of this writing.

The graphics in Poly Bridge are really solid for all the game is. Rather than just going with simple 2D graphics, the game uses 3D models that have a unique style to them. It’s nice to see an indie game that’s willing to move away from the retro graphics that have become so popular in the last few years.

The audio in Poly Bridge is nice as well. Sound effects are alright, but I could’ve done with a few more. A car falling in water makes no splash noise whatsoever, which completely ruined my evil feelings of drowning that virtual family in the car. The game also has a really nice soundtrack that plays while building. It’s laid back and relaxed, which definitely helps fend of frustration during some of the later levels.

From what I’ve seen so far, I’m liking where Poly Bridge is going. The game already has a fair bit of meat to it for players to enjoy and the addition of Steam Workshop extends this further. It’s also sporting some nice visuals and audio that really complement the experience.

Being that Poly Bridge is still in Early Access, it won’t be getting a final review score. Instead, a placeholder score of 2.5 GiN Gems out of 5 will be used.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/poly-bridge-steam-early-access/feed/0Sensate Saturday: Cage of Eden by Yoshinobu Yamadahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-cage-of-eden-by-yoshinobu-yamada/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-cage-of-eden-by-yoshinobu-yamada/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 13:32:10 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27546Michael's back with a series he enjoyed for this week's Sensate Saturday. It's time to enter the Cage of Eden by Yoshinobu Yamada

This week on Sensate Saturday I’m covering a series I enjoyed despite it being a horror series. It’s Cage of Eden by Yoshinobu Yamada!

Plot Synopsis: Middle schooler Akira Sengoku and his class are flying back to Japan from their school trip to Guam, along with other classes from their school and various passengers. But their trip takes an unexpected turn when their plane hits unexpected turbulence and crashes on a Pacific island.

Plot: The plot is pretty engrossing, despite it being a pretty scary and disturbing series. I did enjoy it quite a bit, but this is most certainly not a series for kids.

Characters: Akira is a pretty bad ass lead, while Rion is also amazing as the female lead. There are plenty of characters, and lots of them are badasses. I personally like Yarai the most.

Art: The art style is Shonen, but this could’ve easily gotten away with being a Seinen series if the author wanted it. That being said it is very good.

Overall: This is well worth your time to read, even if it starts off slow.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-cage-of-eden-by-yoshinobu-yamada/feed/0No Pineapple Left Behind Hits The Virtual Classroomhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/no-pineapple-left-behind-hits-the-virtual-classroom/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/no-pineapple-left-behind-hits-the-virtual-classroom/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:05:12 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27569No Pineapple Left Behind takes a satirical look at the operation of public schools and tests you on your operational skills. A free alpha download is available.

]]>Listen up, because this will most certainly be on the test. No Pineapple Left Behind, the strategic satire of modern education from Subaltern Games, has entered open alpha and is available now as a free download.

No Pineapple Left Behind puts you in charge of the school. Will you work to retain the best teachers, or cut costs with a burned-out, underpaid staff? Will you help the underachievers reach their potential, or lie about their grades? Most importantly, will you deal with the complications of children, or simply sweep all their troubles under the rug by turning them into orderly little pineapples?

Download the No Pineapple Left Behind alpha and see if you have what it takes to run the school.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/no-pineapple-left-behind-hits-the-virtual-classroom/feed/0Xbox One and More at Gamescom 2015http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/xbox-one-and-more-at-gamescom-2015/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/xbox-one-and-more-at-gamescom-2015/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 14:10:44 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27572With Sony absent, Xbox One looks set to rule the show at Gamescom 2015. Chella picks the top games to watch out for across the show floor. Things kick off with the Xbox conference on 4 August.

Gamescom 2015 comes very soon after E3, which means it has struggled to attract some star attractions, namely Sony. So, it’s with some relief that the industry is told that next year’s Gamescom will be 17-21 August, pushing it to eight weeks after E3. Still a little close for comfort, if you ask me. However, with Sony out of the picture, Microsoft has room to shine, building on its recent boost in Xbox One sales.

Whilst E3 pretends that it’s a trade only show, Gamescom is out and proud, when it comes to welcoming consumers to the show floor. This makes it an attractive option for devs who want to put their titles in the hands of gamers – the ones that part with their cash. With attendance figures at 335,000 in 2014, compared to 52,000 at E3 2015, Gamescom is not to be sniffed at, despite the industry’s America-centric perspective.

Sit up and take note, playchums, as Gamescom 2015 swings into action next week. To help you out, here is my rundown of the titles I’d like to see.

Xbox One Exclusives

Gamescom 2015 is there for the taking by Microsoft. After a strong, but subdued E3, I’d like to see it come out all guns blazing. I’m looking for some strong exclusives and indie action. Folllowing the shock announcement of Xbox One’s backwards compatibility feature, I’d like a list of titles. In addition, Windows 10 will have launched, so gamers will want to hear how its features translate to console, as well as its impact on PC gaming.

Scalebound

So, there are dragons…

Not much has been said about this dragon-themed action title, so I’d like to see more. It’s an XboxOne exclusive from Okami’s Hideki Kamiya, so hopes are high. And did I mention it’s got dragons?

Crackdown

This neon-tinged open world shooter look gorgeous, stylish and brain-meltingly action packed. It was conspicuous in its absence at E3, but it’s getting a look in at Gamescom.

Halo 5

I’d like more info on the single-player experience, rather just maps and multi-player guff. 343 did such a nice job of giving Halo a heart, last time, that I’m keen to see what they’ve got planned for Halo 5.

Quantum Break

Microsoft’s TV/gaming hybrid by Remedy Entertainment already looks slick, from what little we’ve seen. But we always want to see more, right? What’s the story and will we care? That’s what I want to know.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

It’s out on 10 November, as a timed exclusive, so I’m expecting to see more gameplay and maybe some character and story stuff. This is a real coup for XboxOne, so Gamescom is the time to show it off.

PlayStation 4 Exclusives

In Sony’s absence, it’s up to developer studios and third parties to put on a show for PS4 owners and they won’t be disappointed.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Did someone say robot dinosaurs?

It wowed at E3, with its tribal, robot dinosaur, hunter chick. Horizon: Zero Dawn is confirmed at Gamescom, so more details will be heading our way, next week.

No Man’s Sky

The sci-fi procedural of epic proportions took a stealthy approach to E3 2015, after stealing the show in 2014. It’ll be interesting to see what’s announced at Gamescom. I wonder if they’re trying to slow down the hype train, which would probably be a good idea, as we all went a bit No Man’s crazy in 2014. Still, I’d like to see something.

There are lots of other Sony exclusives I’d like to see, like WiLD and Rime, neither of which were at E3, but I think they may hold off until Paris or TGS. And I’m not expecting major news for The Last Guardian or Shenmue III either.

Rest of the Show

EA’s Star Wars Game

The new Star Wars game from EA has me excited. It’s not often I get to say Star Wars game and ‘excited’ in the same sentence. But with Unchartered developer Amy Hennig at the helm, along with Jade Raymond, this could be the Star Wars game I’m looking for. Hell, there might even be a female protagonist, but now I’m delirious, so…next.

Mass Effect Andromeda

Mass Effect Andromeda is in a dev studio far, far away…

I’m not overly hopeful, but some more anything would make me happy. Give us a decent trailer, please. The only thing that would please me more, is if they do a total Bethesda and say nothing, until a big reveal next summer, complete with release date for five months later.

VR doodads

I’m in the augmented reality camp, so it’ll be interesting to see what Google’s team have to show on the gaming front. However, VR seems to be the hot new thing, so cue a host of gizmos on the show floor. Occulus is bound to be there, as it inches ever closer to launch. Hopefully, we’ll see some devs taking advantage of the new tech to show us the future of gaming in a hands-on kind of way.

Gamescom is on from 5 to 9 August, in Cologne, Germany. The Xbox One press conference is on 4 August at 4pm CET/10am EST. Stay tuned for our reports, as it happens.

]]>Get a preview of Reckoning, the final DLC pack for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Reckoning includes the culmination of the Exo Zombies saga with Descent, as our heroes unravel the true cause of the global pandemic and the terrible secret that Atlas has been hiding. Also included are four exo grapple-enabled Multiplayer maps: Fracture, Overload, Quarantine, and Swarm. Take down your enemies in this globe-spanning collection that’s filled with all-new map interactions and scorestreaks.

Reckoning releases August 4th on Xbox Live, with other platforms to follow.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-cod-advanced-warfare-reckoning-dlc/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Munch’s Oddyseehttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-munchs-oddysee/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-munchs-oddysee/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:32:06 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27524Michael's back with one of the first games he played on the original Xbox for this week's Retro Game Friday! It's Munch's Oddysee!

This week on Retro Game Friday I’m back with a game that was one of my first for the original Xbox. It’s Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee!

Plot Synopsis: Taking place after the events of Abe’s Exoddus, the story begins with a froglike Gabbit named Munch, whose species has been commercially fished to near-extinction; their eggs harvested for a delicacy known as “Gabbiar” and their lungs used as replacements for those of the Glukkons. While calling for fellow Gabbits in song, Munch is allured into captivity by an animal trap when it mimics an answering call.

Plot: It’s not amazing, but it was interesting.

Gameplay: It was a platformer game, and while it was fun, it wasn’t super amazing.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-munchs-oddysee/feed/0Getting To The Bottom Of Things With Her Story Part Twohttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/getting-to-the-bottom-of-things-with-her-story-part-two/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/getting-to-the-bottom-of-things-with-her-story-part-two/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 15:38:32 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27540Chella plays Her Story Part 2 and it just gets more confusing. Now our suspect is talking about STDs, crazy parties and mysterious deaths that might or might not have anything to do with the mystery at hand. Come by and see if she ever gets to the bottom of this crazy mystery.

If you thought the bizarre ramblings of our suspect could not get any crazier, then you are in for a nice surprise with the second Let’s Play of Her Story from developer Sam Barlow. Now our suspect is talking about STDs, crazy parties and mysterious deaths that might or might not have anything to do with the mystery at hand.

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series that I really enjoyed, although I’m a little worried about what that says about me. Anyways, it’s time to make your head spin with Yobidasa Reta Satsuriku-sha Volume 01 by Ido Masayoshi!

Plot Synopsis: Touno Hifumi was summoned to another world, to be a Hero for a kingdom. Unbeknownst to the summoners, he’s a kill-happy person who restrained his killer instincts with martial arts.

Plot: The plot in this series is super serious. It doesn’t hold back and I really enjoy that. That being said if you can’t stand reading about a lot of violence that puts Game of Thrones to shame, this series is most certainly not for you.

Characters: I love Hifumi, he takes no one’s crap and while he’s got very little compunctions about using his skills to get his way he isn’t immoral. He treats others with kindness if they treat him like that. Origa and Kasha are also really interesting, they are each other’s foils and are pretty amazing. The rest of the cast is rather small so far, but I enjoy them all.

Art: I’m reading the web novel translation, but there is a light novel version out there. The artwork is pretty freaking awesome.

Overall: If you love a protagonist who doesn’t mind going all out without restraint this is the series for you.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-yobidasa-reta-satsuriku-sha-volume-01-by-ido-masayoshi/feed/0Let’s Play The Heartbreaking Life Is Strange Episode 4http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-heartbreaking-life-is-strange-episode-4/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-heartbreaking-life-is-strange-episode-4/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 13:09:42 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27552The fourth episode of Life is Strange – Dark Room is finally out, and Chella is all over it with this fascinating and sometimes tear-jerking Let’s Play. Come by and see all the crazy and intense stuff they packed into the first hour of this story.

The fourth episode of Life is Strange – Dark Room is finally out, and Chella is all over it with this fascinating and sometimes tear-jerking Let’s Play. Fresh off the crazy events of Episode 3, you can see our full review here, or dive right into the story. To say that Episode 4 of Life is Strange begins with one heck of a moral choice is the understatement of the year. And it only gets more intense from there. Come see all the stuff packed into the first hour of gameplay.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-heartbreaking-life-is-strange-episode-4/feed/0Bookish Wednesday: Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Andersonhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/bookish-wednesday-hidden-empire-by-kevin-j-anderson/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/bookish-wednesday-hidden-empire-by-kevin-j-anderson/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 12:32:43 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27493Michael's back with the first book in a series he recently read and enjoyed thoroughly. It's time to unveil the truth with Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson!

This week for Bookish Wednesday’s first real post I’m covering the first entry in a series I really enjoyed. It’s Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson!

Plot Synopsis: In the future, the human race has colonized multiple planets in the Spiral Arm, most of which are governed by the powerful Terran Hanseatic League (Hansa). Though ostensibly ruled by kings, the Hansa is actually controlled by its Chairman, and the puppet monarchs merely follow orders. Centuries before, several generation ships had set out from Earth to find new worlds; one of these had encountered the Ildirans, an ancient alien race who shared their stardrive technology (which allows faster-than-light travel) and led the humans to habitable planets. The Ildirans themselves, psychically linked to their leader the Mage-Imperator, have become stagnant and eschew both expansion and innovation.

Plot: The plot is very good, and sets up the plot threads for the later books. It’s easily one of the better series I’ve read in a long time, nothing as spectacular as Sanderson’s Cosmere but pretty close.

Characters: DD and Raymond are probably my favorite characters in this book, for reasons I won’t explain as it’ll spoil too much. The cast is freaking huge and it only gets bigger later on.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/bookish-wednesday-hidden-empire-by-kevin-j-anderson/feed/0Liam Mulligan Series Goes Dark With Providence Raghttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/liam-mulligan-series-goes-dark-with-providence-rag/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/liam-mulligan-series-goes-dark-with-providence-rag/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 15:54:43 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27534Michael continues his review of the Liam Mulligan Series by Bruce DeSilva, and finds a much darker world than before. There is also a character in there named Gordon Freeman, though its not who you are thinking.

I’m back with another entry in the excellent Liam Mulligan series! It’s time to dance to the Providence Rag by Bruce DeSilva, Book 03 of the Liam Mulligan Series!

Plot Synopsis: Mulligan knows every street and alley, every priest and prostitute, every cop and street thug. He knows the mobsters and politicians – who are pretty much one and the same. Inspired by a true story, Providence Rag finds Mulligan, his pal Mason, and the newspaper they both work for at an ethical crossroad.

Providence Rag

Plot: This plot is considerably darker than past books, and while it’s a nice change of pace it is also pretty depressing. That isn’t to say it’s a bad plot, it’s amazing. That being said this is one of those books that children shouldn’t ever read. I loved it though, and it even includes a nod to Curt Schilling’s failed video game development studio 38 Studios. One thing of note is that this book is told in Third Person as it’s got multiple character’s points of view. I do miss hearing Mulligan’s thoughts, but I thought it was well done.

Characters: My favorite new character probably is Larry Bird, who is just hilarious. Whoosh is also present, but not for very long which makes me sad. We do get a bunch of returning characters and my favorite characters haven’t changed at all. It’s still Whoosh, Mason and Mulligan. Another thing of note that gamer’s might appreciate is the fact that there is a character named Gordon Freeman, but he doesn’t show up much.

Overall: This is a great entry, but it’s a bit different than previous entries in the series.

P.S. Wait this is the third book in a series, and it’s got a character named Gordon Freeman! Half-Life 3 Confirmed?

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/liam-mulligan-series-goes-dark-with-providence-rag/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: Crowdfundinghttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-crowdfunding/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-crowdfunding/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 13:32:32 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27487Michael's back with a topic that some of his colleagues here at GiN would call E-Begging for this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about Crowdfunding!

This week on Video Game Tuesday I’m covering a topic I’ve heard discussed pretty often in the last few months. It’s all about Crowdfunding!

What is Crowdfunding?: It’s a process where people, usually via a website like Kickstarter, donate money to a cause. Sometimes it’s wildly successful like it was with Pillars of Eternity. Other times it’s just plain odd, like that one time with the potato salad.

Why do people get upset at this?: Well because most of the time it turns out to be a flop, or doesn’t deliver what was promised. There’s one guy out there who is very vocal in the gaming community who had a successfully funded crowdfunding project that’s never been made.

What do I think about it all?: If it’s successful and produces what is promised I’ve got no problem with it. I’ve got problems when assholes like the guy I mentioned above receive that money and than do nothing. Some people call it E-Begging, I personally don’t agree with that all the time. It’s really on a case by case basis for me, as some like Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained project and Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 are about rebooting series where the original publisher has decided to either run into the ground or just flat out ignores. I think that those projects are good.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-crowdfunding/feed/0Turning the Tide: Hiring Women in the Game Industry Panel Comes To GDC Europehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turning-the-tide-hiring-women-in-the-game-industry-panel-comes-to-gdc-europe/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turning-the-tide-hiring-women-in-the-game-industry-panel-comes-to-gdc-europe/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 23:44:51 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27531Turning the Tide: Hiring and Retaining Women in the game Industry returns to GDC Europe.

Next week’s game developers conference GDC Europe will see the return of a celebrated panel, “Turning the Tide: Hiring and Retaining Women in the Game Industry.” First held at GDC San Francisco in March 2015, the GDC Europe panel covers topics ranging from creating enticing work environments for top talent to retaining career-focused women at all levels of varied game development disciplines. GDC Europe is scheduled for August 3-4 at Cologne Congress Center East.

Moderated by Fiona Cherbak, senior staffing specialist for Gameloft, the GDC Europe panel is comprised of women from companies representing every tier of European game development. The speakers include Isabelle Tremblay, Head of Human Resources for Square Enix Europe; Catherine Silvestre, General Manager for NaturalMotion; Kim Pasquin, General Manager for Nvizzio Creations; and Orna Holland, Senior Director of Global Talent at King.

Holland offers, “Women still account for only a small percentage of the workforce in the gaming industry. There’s lots being done to address this, but there’s still plenty more the industry can do to attract and retain women. I’m looking forward to exploring some of the opportunities we have to ensure more great female talent is represented in our industry at the Turning the Tide panel.”

Tremblay adds, “I had the opportunity to speak on this panel at GDC in San Francisco earlier this year, and look forward to bringing Square Enix’s cross-continental perspective to the our GDC Europe panel. While there are clearly cultural and geographic differences in dealing with the challenges of hiring and retention of women in the games industry, many of the same issues exist from region to region, country to country. This is an opportunity to delve more specifically into how we can support the European workplace.”

The conversation inspired by “Turning the Tide” is important not just for women working in the industry, but for anyone responsible for recruiting, hiring, establishing culture, or fostering a supportive work environment. Cherbak hopes to attract studio hiring directors and general managers as the target audience for this all-women panel of studio heads, HR directors, and senior hiring managers: the keepers of the culture in their studios, who will discuss their visions and solutions for drawing in more women as employees, tackling tough issues, and retaining female employees whose contributions make a difference in worldwide game development.

“Turning the Tide: Hiring and Retaining Women in the game Industry” will be held on Tuesday, August 4 from 15:45 pm to 16:45 pm in Europasaal, 1st Level at the Cologne Congress Center East. The panel is part of the Business, Marketing & Management, and Production conference tracks at GDC Europe.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turning-the-tide-hiring-women-in-the-game-industry-panel-comes-to-gdc-europe/feed/0Satellite Rush Gets Video Trailerhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/satellite-rush-gets-video-trailer/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/satellite-rush-gets-video-trailer/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 23:33:49 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27528Satellite Rush is being designed by developer Kimeric Labs out of Rio, Brazil, and looks to be coming along nicely.

Satellite Rush is a sci-fi roguelike shooter where you fight for survival in front of an alien audience. Put up a good show and they will throw items into the arena to assist you. You can even dedicate your victories to an Alien Sponsor and get power-ups!

It’s being designed by developer Kimeric Labs out of Rio, Brazil, and looks to be coming along nicely.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/satellite-rush-gets-video-trailer/feed/1Batman: Arkham Knight Ups The Superhero Game Antehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/batman-arkham-knight-ups-the-superhero-game-ante/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/batman-arkham-knight-ups-the-superhero-game-ante/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 13:51:55 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27513Although plagued by problems on the PC, Batman: Arkham Knight is really rocking consoles. With its open world type gameplay, amazing visuals, cool bat gadgets and a compelling story, this is one romp through the city you don’t want to miss.

(Note: Due to WB Games’ suspension of the game on Steam, this review will center on the console versions. When the PC version is released, we will provide an update to the review to cover it.)

When I played the first game of the Batman Arkham series I was immediately hooked. Whether it was the quality of the gameplay, the gorgeous visuals, or how it felt like a modern remake of the classic Animated Series, it won me over instantly. It even went as far as being my pick for Game of the Year.

And yes, that “glitch” sequence still haunts me, bringing back memories of when my 360 got the RRoD during a play of BioShock.

Okay, this just looks amazing. Not much more to say. Just look at these visuals!

Its sequel, Arkham City, improved on almost everything that I loved about Asylum. We now had an open world to explore, new bosses that were quite fun to fight with (and yes, Ra’s Al-Ghul is pronounced the way it’s meant to be pronounced: RAISH instead of RAWS,) some of which adapted to your strategies (props to Mr. Freeze for doing that,) addition of New Game Plus, and an expansion to the main storyline. But with all the positives, came a negative that has bugged me ever since: gimping a huge part of the storyline behind an online pass.

I originally rented Arkham City and in doing so I did not get the online pass, and that was the only way to play the complete game with the Catwoman missions. Though in the end I found the game played much better without them, as Catwoman’s stages tended to slow the game down quite a bit, it was still a jerk move on WB’s part to lock them out until I finally bought the game.

Hey Catwoman, can you take this finishing move for me?

Then came Origins, a game I absolutely HATED. With WB Montreal in charge of the development they took everything I liked about Arkham City and chopped it to pieces, while adding some elements that didn’t work in full execution such as the Detective Mode, and frustrating boss battles (Deathstroke alone made me want to throw my controller to a wall.) But the biggest crime of the series was removing Kevin Conroy, replacing him with the same voice actor that played Sonic the Hedgehog! Keifer Sutherland voicing Snake says that is a huge step in the wrong direction. I found that to be unforgiveable.

Thankfully, Rocksteady is back under the helm for Batman: Arkham Knight, the latest game in the series. It is a step in the right direction, but sadly it’s not enough to return the series to the glory that was demonstrated in Arkham City, Catwoman missions notwithstanding.

Knight begins with Gotham City being evacuated, in response to a threat from the Scarecrow to release a new fear toxin. However, when Batman arrives to where the source of the toxin is, he is confronted by a military commander going by the name of the “Arkham Knight,” a man who claims knows everything about Batman and how he plans to use it to get even with him. Batman locates the fear toxin bomb, but is eventually exposed to the toxin and starts to see visions of the now dead Joker speaking directly to him.

This should be one the best parts of the game, right? Well, about that…

In addition, Scarecrow kidnaps Batman’s information specialist, Oracle. Her father, Commissioner Gordon, thinking that Oracle was away from the city safe, goes in a rage after finding out the truth (much to vision Joker’s delight) and tries to bring Scarecrow down himself.

So now Batman has to deal with taking down Scarecrow, while searching for the missing Oracle, and being hunted by the Arkham Knight, all while having an inner Joker harassing him to no end.

That sounds like too much for anyone, but this is typical Batman lore. But in addition, other side missions come into play such as Catwoman being captured by the Riddler, and restrained by an exploding collar Battle Royale-style unless her and Batman can solve all his riddles, searching for missing members of the FDGC, investigating mysteries bodies tied up all over the city, reports of a mysterious bat creature, and testing out Azrael who aims to be Batman’s successor.

As in previous Arkham games, the combat and gadgets are truly one of its highlights. Using them to trick unsuspecting enemies is as fun as ever, but now the combat is even more enjoyable. One of the stealth elements I learned to enjoy is a Fear Takedown, which chains several stealth takedowns in a row in rapid succession. In combat, there are times when Batman is partnered up, be it with Catwoman or Robin, where a Dual Play attack can be made. When doing so the secondary character executes a finishing move, and then you are in control of him/her until another Dual Play attack is performed, returning control to Batman.

Gotta love the bat symbol. Bet the other superheroes are jealous of that.

However there are some combatants who are a pain to deal with. My biggest issue is what I call the “chargers.” They run at you at a very fast speed and while a quick batarang attack will stop them, if not they will run into you and push you for several seconds to the point it becomes maddening. Eventually you will learn to deal with them but it is still a tough fight.

Then there is the other new element in the game, and one that initially started off great but became the game’s Achilles ’ heel: the Batmobile. That damn Batmobile. To start off, I want to know what Rocksteady was thinking with the control scheme. Acceleration is what you’d expect it to be, pressing down the right trigger. But if you want to brake or reverse, you’d expect to use the left trigger, right?

WRONG!

Left trigger activates Battle Mode, and will deactivate when you release it. There were many times I was in pursuit of someone only to have it messed up because the controls were switched. I will get to Battle Mode in a second, but how do you brake or reverse? You press the X/Square button, which defies all logic. Thankfully there is a way to switch it in the options screen, but you cannot access it until you make your first visit to the GCPD, another idea that defies logic.

You’ve been batted! Woah, do you think that might catch on?

But even with that problem resolved, the game centers too much on Batmobile content, even being used in some of the Riddler Challenges. One of which requires such tight movements in Battle Mode that you’ll end up screaming in frustration once the Batmobile slides off the ledge and you have to start all over for the tenth time.

Then there is another thorn in my side for Arkham Knight, the way the game nickel and dimes you with DLC. Not only do you have to get the game and the Season Pass to get a majority of the content, but once again, you have store exclusive DLC, and yes once again, Xbox One and (eventually) PC owners are gimped because WB gives Sony the preferential treatment. I really wish companies would put an end to this console exclusive crap because they are getting more while the rest of the market is left out.

But back on the good side, Rocksteady fixed one of the biggest mistakes that was performed by WB Montreal, and that’s bringing back Kevin Conroy as Batman. He was sorely missed and having him back gave the game back its Animated Series feel. But for a much bigger surprise, we find the return of Mark Hamill as the Joker. This I never saw coming, especially when he claimed that when the Joker died at the end of Arkham City that would be the end of his iconic role. Thankfully that’s not the case, and yes, he’s still got it.

Batman: Still a pretty bad dude after all these years.

I’m still going through a lot with Arkham Knight, and even with the issues of the Batmobile, I am enjoying the final product. And with the Batgirl DLC now available I will be making a return to the game soon. Arkham Knight is not at the praiseworthy pinnacle that Arkham City was, but it sure is a vast improvement over Arkham Origins, and earns a 4 Gem rating.

Pros: The series returns to some glory after the disappointing Arkham Origins. Both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return for their iconic roles. Tons of side missions and unlockables. Dual Play and Fear Takedowns are awesome.

Cons: The Batmobile! Some of the side missions tend to drone on. Overdose of DLC takes a heavy burden on your wallet, and some versions end up gimped due to PlayStation 4 exclusive content. Followers of comic book lore, especially Batman, will easily figure out who the Arkham Knight is before his reveal.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/batman-arkham-knight-ups-the-superhero-game-ante/feed/0Manga Monday: 666 Satan by Seishi Kishimotohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-666-satan-by-seishi-kishimoto/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-666-satan-by-seishi-kishimoto/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 13:32:11 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27483Michael's back with a series he found lacking for this week's Manga Monday. It's 666 Satan by Seishi Kishimoto!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series I found lacking. It’s 666 Satan, or O-Parts Hunter in America, by Seishi Kishimoto!

Plot Synopsis: Set in the near future, it tells the story of a teenage girl named Ruby Crescent who wants to become a treasure hunter, following in the footsteps of her father. Her objective is to find O-Parts: magical items hidden in ruins which grant people fantastical powers and can only be used by an O.P.T. (O-Part Tactician). She soon meets a mysterious boy named Jio Freed who, due to having a dark, lonely past, seeks to conquer the world.

Plot: The plot’s not amazing, and it’s a pity that someone whose brother is one of the most well known artists out there wrote such a lackluster series.

Art: This is where it probably shone the most, and that’s only because of Seishi’s name. Seishi is the twin brother to Masashi Kishimoto who is best known for a series called Naruto. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a very similar art style to his brother, and that’s probably the only reason many people picked up this series in the first place. That includes myself.

Overall: This is an easily skippable series.

For those who like: Shonen Manga, Action, Adventure.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, or a work that is overshadowed by the author’s brother.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-666-satan-by-seishi-kishimoto/feed/0Thank You, Satoru Iwatahttp://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/satoru-iwata-nintendo/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/satoru-iwata-nintendo/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 14:08:55 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27501We here at GiN are very thankful to Satoru Iwata for all he did for the video game industry. His work at Nintendo helped make it what it is today.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/satoru-iwata-nintendo/feed/0Anime Sunday: Charlotte Episode 01 First Impressionshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-charlotte-episode-01-first-impressions/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-charlotte-episode-01-first-impressions/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 13:32:49 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27470Michael's back with another first impressions post for another of the Summer 2015 Anime Season for this week's Anime Sunday! It's time for Charlotte!

This week for Anime Sunday I’m doing another of the first impression posts! This time it’s all about Charlotte!

Plot Synopsis: In an alternate world, a small percentage of children are able to manifest superpowers upon reaching puberty. Yuu Otosaka, a boy who awakens the ability to temporarily possess others, hopes to use his power to live an easy going high school life.

Plot: The plot’s pretty serious despite it looking like it won’t be at first. I really enjoyed the twists that the first episode pulled off. I think this will be an interesting series, which isn’t a surprise once I learned this is done by the team who made Angel Beats.

Character: Yuu is an ass, and I was instantly reminded of Lelouch from Code Geass. Except while Lelouch has very few morals he’s still a decent person. Yuu on the other hand just seems to be a jerk. I’m looking to seeing the rest of the cast.

Art: The art is amazing.

Music: I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as outstanding as Gate’s musical soundtrack.

Overall: This looks to be a fun series, but I’m expecting it be more serious than it looks.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-charlotte-episode-01-first-impressions/feed/0Shooting High in Duck Gamehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/duck-game/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/duck-game/#commentsSat, 25 Jul 2015 16:08:55 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27492This week Billy is taking on Duck Game, a fast paced, 2D, dethmatch shooter. Does it earn his seal of approval or is it time wasted in the worst of ways?

This week I spent my time on my computer with Duck Game, a fast-paced 2-D shooter with a focus on multiplayer.

Duck Game puts the player in control of…well, a duck. The game allows players to customize these ducks with different hats, many of which are references of some kind to another form of media. A perfect example of this is the “Super” hat, which gives the mallard blonde spiky hair like what Super Saiyan Goku from Dragon Ball Z sports.

“What does the baked duck say? Quaaaaack”

My first instinct with Duck Game was to jump online and check out the multiplayer. However, I let reason set in first and took on some of the offline challenges. I figured this was the best way to learn how the game is played before I look at a competitive game type.

Duck Game offers players a variety of challenges that are spread throughout a small area offline. These challenges are stored in arcade machines and there are three a piece. It’s basically a bunch of fun mini games that will have the player testing their skills to get the best time or most kills in a level.

When a player completes a challenge, they are awarded tickets. These tickets can be traded to a sketchy looking shop owner for extra in-game options. This includes hats, moon gravity and more. He’ll also offer the player suped up challenges that they have already complete, but need to be done in a new, harder way.

While the offline is definitely fun, players won’t spend a lot of time there. The challenges will probably only take up a couple hours of their time before they’ve pretty much cleared them all. Also, the game prefers a learn-as-you-go style over offering any type of tutorial. This isn’t really bad and it definitely gives the game the 80’s feel that it’s going for, but some items (I’m looking at you grappling hook) could of used a simple on screen direction for how to use them.

Feeling that I was up to snuff on my Duck murdering game, I decided to try out the online multiplayer. Unfortunately, there was a real lack of challenge online. It’s not that the people I played against were bad, it’s just that there were so few of them. Duck Game supports up to four players in a match, but I was lucky to find two people to play with. Most of my time was spent playing 1v1. Don’t get me wrong, it was still fun, but this is a game that just screams of reaching its max potential when it has four players on the field.

Luckily, Duck Game has a solution for this: local multiplayer. Honestly, I didn’t really check it out much. Attempts to get three friends over this week to do just that were foiled by the brakes in my car going out on Sunday. No harm came to Alia or I, but it’s definitely limited our transportation options. I still tested it with one other player and it works just like online multiplayer.

You can quack when you want to.

I really did enjoy just how fast paced Duck Game’s multiplayer is. Matches were over in the matter of seconds and the game didn’t mess around with giving a score at the end of each level. Instead, it just moved straight on to the next one and let players enjoy the game. Every 10 matches it would stop to show players their progress in the form of a rock throwing contest, which is a simple and quick way to take care of scores.

The visuals in Duck Game are screaming 80’s. It’s not surprising as that’s the style the game is going for. Sure, it looks a good bit better than anything seen on the Nintendo or Genesis, but it still retains the overall look that era of gaming, and American fashion, had at the time.

The audio in Duck Game is just like the rest of the game: fast. This is a good thing. The upbeat and energetic music keeps the game feeling lively and serves as great background sound. The weapons also have great sound effects to them with each one having it’s own unique noise when fired. One of my favorite features of the game is the ability to quack at command. It’s such a random addition to the game, but it acts as a perfect way for players to taunt their enemies after they’ve killed them. Just don’t get so caught up in laughing that someone else takes you out.

Duck Game isn’t perfect, but it’s dang good. It’s tight controls, fun matches and caffeine-filled visuals and audio make it a great party game. The online is good as well, but it sucks that there isn’t much in the way of a community to play with. The one thing I see really hurting this game is its price. The game is $13 on Steam, which seems a little high for what basically comes down to a 2D deathmatch title. $7 seems like it would be a much more reasonable price. With that said, I recommend this game, but only if you can find it on sale. I guess the exception to this rule would be for college students that share a dorm. I could see it getting a lot of play that way.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/duck-game/feed/0Sensate Saturday: Natsu no Arashi by Jin Kobayashihttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-natsu-no-arashi-by-jin-kobayashi/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-natsu-no-arashi-by-jin-kobayashi/#commentsSat, 25 Jul 2015 13:32:03 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27450Michael's back with a series he enjoyed quite a bit, but hasn't finished due to all the other projects he's got going on, for this week's Sensate Saturday! It's time for Natsu no Arashi by Jin Kobayashi to reach landfall!

This week on Sensate Saturday I’m covering a series I started, but haven’t finished because I’ve got so many things going on at the moment. It’s Natsu no Arashi by Jin Kobayashi!

Plot Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Yasaka is a boy staying at his grandfather’s house during his summer vacation. One day he entered a store and met Arashi, a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl working there. After trying to protect her from a man who claims to have been hired by her family to take her back by force, Yasaka ran away with her and now she stays at his grandpa’s place with him.

Plot: The plot’s pretty good, but I’ve only read about 6 chapters in, which I know isn’t a lot. That being said I did enjoy the plot and it definitely has some twists and turns.

Characters: Yasaka is pretty interesting, but it’s Arashi who really takes the cake for this series. I won’t spoil why, but just trust me that it was quite a good shock.

Art: The art isn’t super amazing, but it’s pretty good.

Overall: If you want a good romantic comedy with some interesting twists look no further.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-natsu-no-arashi-by-jin-kobayashi/feed/0Will Windows 10 Turn Xbox Ones Into Gaming PCs?http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/will-windows-10-turn-xbox-ones-into-gaming-pcs/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/will-windows-10-turn-xbox-ones-into-gaming-pcs/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 14:39:02 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27476Hargosh is loving all the new features being added to the Xbox One, but one of the most interesting is the fact that Windows 10 is making some console games compatible with PC titles. Will this boost Xbox’s popularity?

Since E3, this has been a topic I’ve been wanting to discuss, but as all of you have seen, other pressing matters got in the way. But now that they are done I can finally talk about what Microsoft announced at E3 and the way it almost turned the Xbox One completely around from its first plans.

And from what I’ve seen, it looks very promising.

We all know how the Xbox One was first announced. Constant internet connection, 24 hour mandatory check in, and an unknown method of trading in used games, all from the era of Don Mattrick. I was very critical of it during the unveil and at that E3. The $500 price tag was the last straw and after seeing the Sony conference I leaned completely towards the PS4.

So yes, all of you who think I’m an “Xbot,” I was leaning more towards buying a PS4 at launch, but after the backlash, Microsoft did the right thing by killing off the always online and check in, as well as allowing used games to be traded in. They even went as far as removing region lock, something I never thought would ever happen. (Get used to me saying that, because it’s going to happen more later.) Over time with what I saw exclusives wise in comparison to the PS4 (Killer Instinct, Forza 5 and Dead Rising 3 compared to Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall,) I leaned more towards the Xbox One, and after playing KI at MAGFest, that sealed the deal for me.

Thankfully by then the stain of Don Mattrick had long passed, and since his successor, Phil Spencer took over, everything started turning for the better. Yet when I get on Facebook or YouTube, all of the gaming sites kept saying the same thing. DRM, 720p resolution, M$ buying this and that to screw us PS4 owners. Just look at the Mojang acquisition announcement if you don’t believe me. And when you get to other sites such as Neogaf, it increases exponentially.

But getting back on topic we’ve seen Microsoft add more features to the system on a monthly basis to make it a more competitive system: external media player (with DLNA support,) party chat improvements, seamless Twitch integration, and even a preview program (which I am a member of) to try out everything in advance to provide feedback.

Plus let’s not forget how the price is now $349, and that’s even including Halo: Master Chief Collection which despite all its issues is still a value in itself.

But there was one feature that I, as well as many others wanted more than everything, and at E3, Phil Spencer surprised us all with one simple announcement: Xbox One Backwards Compatibility. I never saw this coming at all, and wondered how they would stand up against PlayStation Now (which I already given my comments on.) But when Mike Ybarra said that “we will not charge you for the games you already own,” that shown how serious they are.

As a preview member, I tested out the backwards compatibility with a set of digital downloads I already owned (Perfect Dark Zero, Perfect Dark Classic, and Jetpac Reloaded for starters,) and all three ran like they did on the 360. In fact, it wasn’t until I tested some of the Xbox One exclusive features (screenshots, Game DVR, and streaming) that I realized I wasn’t playing on the 360.

(On a side note, I started today testing my first disc based BC title, Mass Effect, which actually downloads the game on my Xbox One instead of playing from the disc, but did not have enough time on it to tell if it runs the same way as on 360. I will provide a more detailed opinion once I get more time on the game, as well as other future BC ready games.)

But that was the start of things to come. We all knew Fallout 4 was coming out this holiday. But what they announced at Microsoft’s press event was another shocker. Not only will the game include a full download of Fallout 3 thanks to backwards compatibility, but the game will also support mods that are created on the PC version.

I didn’t see that coming either, but it got me wondering about how it can be done, and I think it’s because of something that comes out on Monday…Windows 10. We all know how Microsoft is planning to make Windows 10 a universal OS for all their devices: PCs, tablets, and smartphones, but we will also see it integrated into Xbox One. We are also seeing games that are on Xbox One such as KI being announced for PC, and even better, those who own the game on Xbox One will also own it on PC at no additional cost. Granted I will still play it more on X1 because of the limited GPU on my PC, it is still a great way to increase the game’s value

Then there is the DirectX 12 issue. We’ve heard a lot the last few months and the potential for DX12 is very promising. I’ve heard reports that it opens up all the of the X1’s CPU cores to developers. In fact, before writing this, I read an article about how Konami was able to bump up the resolution of PES 2016 from 720p to 1080p as a result of DX12. I will have to see it first hand, but if this is true, it will be a game changer that will hopefully stop the fanboy comments once and for all. (I doubt it though, because as a friend of mine always says at the end of his videos…fanboys don’t love their favorite system…they just hate yours.)

And finally, Xbox announced what they call a Game Preview program. What that does is it allows players to try out and purchase games as they are in development to test it out, and once the final release comes out, they already own it at the reduced price. PC gamers will be familiar with this as it closely resembles Steam Greenlight.

As you all know, I’ve been playing a lot of Elite Dangerous, which is one of the two games available for the program. The other being The Long Dark. So far my experience with Elite Dangerous has been pretty smooth. Sure there is the occasional crash but I expected that. It never reached the point of being unplayable, which I’m glad to see. Hopefully this will silence some detractors who don’t want to see this coming to consoles.

With the adding of mods, game previews, and DX12, as well as streaming your Xbox One games to your PC, it got me wondering if whether or not the Xbox One truly is turning into a gaming PC. If so then it shows how one console can take one form at launch (a supposed “all in one” television centric entertainment center) and turn it into another (a potential gaming PC running Windows 10.) We’ve seen how the PlayStation 3 turned around from its original launch into a competitive game system, and I’m pretty confident that the Xbox One is going to do the same thing. E3 2015 was just the start, now will Windows 10 continue the trend?

Oh and for those who still don’t think it’s turning into a PC, I forgot to mention one last thing announced today: native keyboard and mouse support.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/will-windows-10-turn-xbox-ones-into-gaming-pcs/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Bomberman 64http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-bomberman-64/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-bomberman-64/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 13:32:25 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27425Michael rather enjoyed the game he's covering for this week's Retro Game Friday back when he was a kid. It's time to rock with Bomberman 64!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I rather enjoyed as a kid. It’s Bomberman 64!

Plot Synopsis: In the game’s opening sequence, a peaceful-looking planet with gardens, rivers, and residential buildings abound is shown. Seconds later, the space pirate, Artemis, drops from the sky with a band of soldiers and orders them to raid the planet. Meanwhile, Altair (the leader of the space pirates), watches from the Black Fortress, using his coveted weapon, the Omni Cube, to completely drain the planet’s energy, condemning it to a zombie-like state.

Artemis returns to the Black Fortress to meet up with her partners, fellow pirates Orion and Regulus and her superior, Altair. Together, they set their sights on their next target: Planet Bomber, home of the protagonist, Bomberman.

Plot: The plot isn’t great, but that didn’t matter as the gameplay was quite good for the day.

Gameplay: The gameplay incorporated adventurer and platformer elements into the series and was pretty different from any other Bomberman game at the time. It was quite a lot of fun, even if the plot wasn’t that great.

Art: The art hasn’t aged well, it’s full of blocky polygons and while it looked good back then, it’s not that good looking now.

Square Enix and DONTNOD Entertainment are incredibly proud to announce that LIFE IS STRANGE has reached 1 million sales – a huge achievement for the small team working on the game.

In other great news the wait is nearly over! LIFE IS STRANGE: EPISODE 4 – DARKROOM will be launching on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on July 28.

In Episode 4, Max pushes the investigation surrounding the disappearance of Rachel Amber and the strange happenings in Arcadia Bay into unexplored and daunting territory. As the End of the World party approaches, Max must use her powers to put all the pieces of the puzzle in place.

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a new series I read recently. It’s Sendai Yuusha wa Inkyou Shitai, or The Previous Hero Wants to Retire in English, Volume 01 by Iida K!

Plot Synopsis:Three years ago, in the land of Reinbulk, a Legendary Hero was summoned in the Kindom of Leezalion and he succeeded in repelling the Demon King. Now, five students are summoned back into Reinbulk by the Kingdom of Luxeria to fight against the Demon King and the demon army. Unlike the other heroes, Yashiro Yuu has no magical affinity and the Luxeria Kingdom has no intention on acknowledging his existence or returning him to his world. However, Yuu is actually the previous Hero that had fought the Demon King.

Plot: The plot is quite good, and I enjoy these Parallel World stories quite a bit, but this one has an excellent twist and plot hook. I really do enjoy this series so I’m hoping it continues to get translated quickly.

Characters: Yuu is hilariously perverted, but he’s also earnest and that earns him the respect of various figures including royalty and highly respected mages. The rest of the cast is quite good as well, but Yuu is easily my favorite because he’s such a nerd and occasionally comically delusional.

Art: I read the web novel translation, but this is also a Light Novel series so they included the images from the Light Novel which was quite well done. Nothing like No Game No Life, but still very good.

Overall: This is worth the time to read, although only one volume has been fully translated.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-sendai-yuusha-wa-inkyou-shitai-volume-01-by-iida-k/feed/0Getting the Goods on Goodgame Studioshttp://www.gameindustry.com/interviews/getting-the-goods-on-goodgame-studios/
http://www.gameindustry.com/interviews/getting-the-goods-on-goodgame-studios/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 13:26:56 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27454Looking for an amazing place to work in the game industry? We talk with Goodgame Studios, one of the most happening developers in Europe with over 1,200 committed game designers from sixty nations. From a swimming pool to food and beer, we find out why everyone wants to join up with Goodgame.

We talk with Ina Bourmer from Goodgame Studios, one of the most exciting developers in Europe, to find out why 1,200 talented game designers from sixty nations have already committed to joining up – and why signing on with Goodgame might be a really great move for those who want to move up, or move into, better careers in the game industry.

Gameindustry: Can you tell us a little bit about how and when Goodgame Studios was founded?

Goodgame’s Ina Bourmer

Ina Bourmer: Goodgame Studios was founded by the brothers Kai and Christian Wawrzinek in 2009. They have always had a strong passion for entrepreneurship, but before taking the big step of founding their own company, they actually studied medicine and law in order to have a plan B up their sleeve. During their studies, they regularly met with fellow students in order to discuss business ideas and that is how they decided that the Internet had to feature in their plan.

They founded their first company in 2003, focusing on buying and selling websites, including platforms for games. With Goodgame Studios, they started producing their own games. Their seed capital was 500,000 euros loaned from a German bank. Now, six years later, they have more than 1.200 people working for them and a turnover of 200 million euros.

Gameindustry: This might be obvious, but is there a story behind your name?

Ina Bourmer: Yes, it is indeed quite obvious: our biggest aim is to make really good games, hence the name “Goodgame Studios.”

Gameindustry: What are some of the successful games that Goodgame Studios has created?

Goodgame Big Farm

Ina Bourmer: Our most successful products are the browser games Goodgame Empire and Goodgame Big Farm as well as the app Empire: Four Kingdoms. The mobile game, for instance, now has over 45 million registered users and was the world’s highest grossing app by a German developer last year.

Gameindustry: At Goodgame, do you focus mainly on creating games for one platform, or are you developing for multiple ones? Are there any areas that you want Goodgame to “own” or become the market leader in?

Ina Bourmer: We started with browser games and then moved into mobile as a second step. Mobile is our main focus at the moment, but our games are generally planned for multiple platforms. One of our upcoming products will be a puzzle game – which is an exciting new genre for us – and it will be launched on Facebook, too. That is also a first for us and we are very excited to see how it goes. But platforms are in fact not a decisive factor for us, because we are convinced that free-to-play games can work universally. We see ourselves mainly as experts in free-to-play, and we want to become the market leader in that segment.

Gameindustry: You are based in Hamburg, Germany. We have interviewed many companies from all around the world and they have told us about the challenges and benefits of their home location. First off, what has it been like being based in Europe?

The Goodgame Grounds

Ina Bourmer: What makes Europe so great is its diversity. We have all these different countries and cities right next to each other, and all of them have a different gaming culture. There is a lot of great talent around and the startup scene is booming, not just in the typical tech capitals such as London or Berlin, but also in other cities where you would expect it less – Hamburg is a good example here. For a young company like Goodgame Studios, Europe is also an excellent location because of its vibrant flair, because people from other parts of the world like to move here. We now have people from more than 60 nations working at Goodgame Studios.

Gameindustry: Now specific to your home city, what is it like to be a game company based in Hamburg and Germany in general? Is the government (both national and local) supportive of game development companies?

Just one of the many great careers talented people can find at Goodgame Studios.

Ina Bourmer: Gaming is a growing market within the German entertainment industry, and our home city Hamburg plays an important role as Germany’s leading gaming city. It has become a proper gaming and startup hub and has provided us with a very good infrastructure and environment for our growth. Hamburg is a very solid and strong economic center with a long hanseatic tradition, which goes well with the founders’ entrepreneurial approach. The city and Germany itself also have a great reputation abroad, which helps us attract more talent from all over the world – and the fact that Paris is only four hours away is also a big asset!

Gameindustry: Looking at your webpages, it seems like you have a really fun work environment. Is it really true that you have a pool and lots of other fun things for employees to enjoy?

On of the cool hangout areas at Goodgame. There is also a pool and lots of game-playing spaces.

Ina Bourmer: Yes, we do indeed have a pool as well as many other fun benefits as well, such as diverse sports programs, meals on campus including fresh organic fruits, and soft drinks and beers after 6PM. Not to forget our big quarterly company parties, which are always a lot of fun. For more day-to-day activities, we have our own feelgood team which takes care of our well-being, for example by organizing massages and active breaks for all Goodgamers.

Gameindustry: How do those amenities work? Are employees encouraged to “hang out” at the company?

Ina Bourmer: We encourage all employees to schedule their days as efficiently as possible and that may include shorter breaks to play table football or a longer lunch break to jump into the pool. If colleagues want to catch up over a drink after work, they can do so in our café or in our garden areas. Some of the sports programs take place at external locations, but it can also be very convenient to go to our own gym in the morning, take a shower there and have breakfast at work. Working hours are flexible with core working hours from 10AM to 5PM.

Gameindustry: About how many people currently work at Goodgame Studios, and what kind of jobs do they perform?

Only a really great place could employ 1,200 gamers from over 60 companies. And Goodgame Studios is looking for even more folks to join their team to help out with some really exciting projects.

Ina Bourmer: Currently, more than 1,200 people work for the company in a wide variety of positions. We have recently established a new development structure with several autonomous studios which are responsible for new as well as existing products. Jobs in these studios include product and project managers, developers, artists, game designers, balancers, writers, sound designers and even data analysts. To name a few of our other central departments, we have customer operations with our support and community management teams, game technology, web development, quality assurance, localization and many more.

Gameindustry: Goodgame is really looking to hire a lot of new people. Are there some exciting upcoming projects that these new people can look forward to working on?

It’s a cool place to work, but a passion for gaming is at the heart of everything Goodgame develops.

Ina Bourmer: Yes, we are working on a lot of exciting projects, because developing new games is our main focus for now and the upcoming months. For our new products specifically, we still have quite a few open positions. One upcoming game that we are very much looking forward to and that I already mentioned is our very first puzzle game, and we are also working on our first core title and a few other games in different genres, so stay tuned for more exciting updates from us.

Gameindustry: If someone is looking for a nice place to work in the game industry, why do you think they should consider applying to be a part of Goodgame Studios?

Ina Bourmer: First of all, Goodgame Studios is an attractive employer giving people the opportunity to really make a difference by bringing in their own ideas, and to be part of an exciting success story. Although we have already grown to a certain size and are continuing to expand, we maintain the flexibility needed to stay on top of the game in a fast changing and fast growing market. We have established a great basis for our future success.

Is a career, or a new career, with Goodgame Studios in your future?

The working atmosphere at Goodgame Studios is awesome, too: while we are very goal-oriented and committed to our projects, working here is also a lot of fun, because we all share the same passion and everyone is very friendly.

Hamburg itself is also a very inviting city with an elegant and cosmopolitan flair rooted in its history as a rich harbor city. While Germany’s capital Berlin attracts mainly young people in their twenties, Hamburg is more laid-back and has a lot to offer to those who are looking to take their career to the next level.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/interviews/getting-the-goods-on-goodgame-studios/feed/0Legion Of Steel Now Availablehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/legion-of-steel-now-available/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/legion-of-steel-now-available/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 17:05:11 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27447Today players have the chance to lead the commandos or the killer machines with the release of Legions of Steel on PC! Along with two intense single player campaigns, this fast-paced Sci-fi tactical game offers a skirmish mode with a set of scenarios playable in normal conditions or with the Electronic Warfare system turned on.

]]>An inhospitable planet on the far side of the galaxy. A section of elite commandos is fighting in bleak corridors, in the underground of the Machines production facilities. At the spearhead of the Interstellar League, these well-equipped assault units can only rely on surprise and their iron will to win against infinite waves of robotic minions.

In such a hostile environment, every corner, every door entrance is potentially lethal. High-tech grenades, advanced cover systems and firing techniques are certainly the best assets of the Human troopers, but they may not be enough to survive until the following turn…

Today players have the chance to lead the commandos or the killer machines with the release of Legions of Steel on PC! Along with two intense single player campaigns, this fast-paced Sci-fi tactical game offers a skirmish mode with a set of scenarios playable in normal conditions or with the Electronic Warfare system turned on. This game mode plunges the players into darkness, leaving them with no intel but what their units see and what their radar checks indicate.

This nerve-racking game of hide and seek is extended in multiplayer with traditional heads-up confrontations and online tournaments. Indeed, for the very first time the PBEM++ technology developed by Slitherine integrates a Swiss-system tournament adapted to pro and casual players!

]]>Leading-edge audio technology company and #1 in gaming audio, Turtle Beach Corporation, delivers its third 100% fully wireless Xbox One gaming headset with tomorrow’s arrival of the Ear Force Stealth 420X. Continuing the Company’s commitment to creating a broad range of products that meet the desires and budgets of every gamer, the Stealth 420X will be available at retail starting Saturday, July 18, 2015, offering Xbox One gamers a wealth of high-quality features, including 100% fully wireless connectivity for both game and chat audio, for a MSRP of $149.95.

“As the market leader, we continuously challenge ourselves to innovate and create new headsets with unique offerings for each segment of the gaming audience,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. “Our third fully wireless Xbox One headset, the Stealth 420X, delivers the perfect mix of best-in-class features and functionality from its Elite 800X and Stealth 500X siblings for a more immersive and comfortable gaming experience at a great price. And given the glowing reviews of the product, we’ve delivered another clear winner for our gaming fans.”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turtle-beach-unveils-xbox-one-headset/feed/0Investigating Her Story With FMV And CRTshttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/investigating-her-story-with-fmv-and-crts/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/investigating-her-story-with-fmv-and-crts/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 13:44:25 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27438Her Story is a deep and twisting mystery told in a series of full-motion video clips where players take the role of an investigator using an old-style police interview database. There is even a shine on the simulated CRT monitor. Created by master developer Sam Barlow, could Her Story help to revive FMV? Let's Play Her Story and see if Chella can sleuth out enough clues to make the bust.

Her Story is a deep and twisting mystery told in a series of full-motion video clips where players take the role of an investigator using an old-style police interview database. There is even a shine on the simulated CRT monitor. Created by master developer Sam Barlow, could Her Story help to revive FMV? Find out as Chella tries to solve a very complicated case.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/investigating-her-story-with-fmv-and-crts/feed/0Bookish Wednesday: The final name change appears!http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/bookish-wednesday-the-final-name-change-appears/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/bookish-wednesday-the-final-name-change-appears/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 13:32:50 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27403Michael's back with the renamed Book Series Wednesday column! It's time to become immersed in Bookish Wednesday!

This week I’m unveiling my final name change for the forseeable future! It’s time to shine with Bookish Wednesday!

Why so many name changes?: As long time readers will recall I wanted to change the title of my Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday columns to better reflect what I actually covered. That’s the reason why.

Why Bookish Wednesday?: Because it fits the theme of me reviewing books, and to be completely honest I am a bookish person.

Is anything going to change?: No, not at all. Unlike my also recently changed Saturday column I’m not planning on expanding the subject matter I’ll cover in this column. I’ll still be covering various english language books.

What is up with that image above?: It’s the teaser for next week’s post!

That’s it for this week’s Bookish Wednesday! Come back next week to see what that image above is all about!

I’m back with another entry in the excellent Liam Mulligan series! It’s time to jog along with Cliff Walk by Bruce DeSilva!

Plot Synopsis: Prostitution has been legal in Rhode Island for more than a decade; Liam Mulligan, an old-school investigative reporter at a dying Providence newspaper, suspects the governor has been taking payoffs to keep it that way. But this isn’t the only story making headlines… a child’s severed arm is discovered in a pile of garbage at a pig farm.

Plot: The plot is great, and while I always want books to be longer, this was just long enough to be enthralling and exciting. I won’t spoil the plot, but it is very, very good.

Characters: We get to see a lot of familiar faces from the previous book and meet a few new ones. Mason and Whoosh are still my favorites, because Whoosh is just a hoot and Mason is sort of naïve in an endearing way. My favorite new one has to be Peggy, but that’s because she has a dog and I’ve always got a soft spot for doggies.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/more-mystery-with-cliff-walk/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: Player’s Vocal Impacthttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-players-vocal-impact/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-players-vocal-impact/#commentsTue, 21 Jul 2015 13:32:50 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27282Michael's back with a look at what happens when people get really upset in this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about a Player's Vocal Impact

This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m taking a look at something near and dear to my heart. It’s all about Player’s Vocal Impact!

What do I mean Vocal Impact?: I mean when something that a video game developer does that is so offensive or just plain stupid that a huge amount of their consumers, gamers, make a legitimate and specific argument against it. This must be a legitimate concern and it must be specific. There have been recent outcries against things in the industry that are nothing more than witch hunts against certain people, or groups of people. This isn’t what I’m covering and if someone brings up the subject in the comments I will mercilessly delete it. I want no part in that farce. I mean something like the Real ID debacle with Blizzard and their forums, where people objected vehemently, and with some good reason, against having their actual names used instead of character names on their forums.

Why is it important to do these things?: Well when a developer does something as stupid as what Bungie did recently with their announcement of The Taken King content pack for Destiny, specifically their idiotic idea to make the collectors edition bonuses a part of an $80 bundle that included things most dedicated players already have like previous DLC, people have the right to be upset. Luke Smith was an absolute idiot in saying what he said, and that is why companies have a PR department. Stuff like that is a legitimate insult and only after having their decisions blow up in their faces did Bungie retract their ideas. That all said, being incredibly vocal doesn’t mean your issue with the game will be resolved to your satisifaction. If it’s got to do with game balance, 99.99% of the time your complaints will be ignored. If you actually provide solid evidence that it’s wrong it may get considered, and if it’s a truly stupid idea it’ll probably be fixed.

The Lesson?: Be vocal about things that are legitimately upsetting, but be specific and provide actual evidence. If you just say things that are vague, you’ll be ignored as a screaming child having a temper tantrum.

]]>Wizards of the Coast today released Magic Origins, the latest Magic: The Gathering trading card game (TCG) set. This pivotal new set reveals the origin stories of five of Magic’s most beloved Planeswalker characters, as well as ushering in the new block set release structure. Magic Origins sets up an expansive, epic storyline that will inform the creative direction for future sets of the world’s most popular TCG.

For the first time ever, players will learn how five of Magic’s most iconic Planeswalkers – Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Chandra Nalaar, and Nissa Revane – discovered their sparks and began their journeys. Moments from each of these Planeswalkers’ origin stories will play out in the card set, with the inclusion of double-faced Planeswalker cards spotlighting key moments in the characters’ backgrounds.

In addition to double-faced Planeswalker cards and a deeply integrated storyline, Magic Origins will include powerful and popular reprints, including cards with the Renowned and Spell Mastery mechanics, along with dozens of other fan favorites.

This Planeswalker spark also exists in Magic’s 20 million players and fans worldwide. For many fans, playing Magic has become a pivotal point in their own lives, as they forge life-long friendships in a welcoming and supportive community united by the fun of playing the world’s best strategy game. With face-to-face play events and social gatherings in more than 7,000 hobby game stores around the world, Magic: The Gathering invites players to ignite their own spark and join the ranks of the most passionate fans in gaming.

]]>Announced at EVO 2015 in Las Vegas, Capcom confirmed the first brand new fighter to join the Street Fighter V roster – the mysterious Necalli! You can check out his fighting style in the latest gameplay trailer and screenshots just released on the press site.

Capcom also confirmed the details of the content plan for Street Fighter V. The initial game purchase will be the only disc or full game download you will ever need to own. For the first time ever, all post-launch gameplay related content will be earnable via gameplay, totally free of charge. Players will also have the option to purchase the content as soon as it’s available if they wish to do so. Any balance and system adjustments will be available for free also. Releasing in Spring 2016, the title will launch with a core roster of 16 characters, including 4 brand new fighters to the Street Fighter universe. Capcom will continually add additional characters, making this the first iteration in the franchise where it’s possible for dedicated players to continue to expand on their gameplay experience without the need to purchase further titles in the series.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/street-fighter-v-announced/feed/0Manga Monday: Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takeihttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-shaman-king-by-hiroyuki-takei/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-shaman-king-by-hiroyuki-takei/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 14:32:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27389Michael's back with a truly classic series for this week's Manga Monday. It's time to open your souls with Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series I can’t believe I hadn’t covered already. It’s Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei!

Plot Synopsis: The plot of Shaman King revolves around Yoh Asakura, a shaman, a medium between the worlds of the living and the dead. Yoh seeks to become the Shaman King, the one who is able to contact the Great Spirit, and will gain the ability to reshape the world in any way they wish, and for this purpose he must to win the Shaman Fight, a battle held once every 500 years between competing shamans.

Plot: The plot is quite good, and it’s easily one of the most classic Jump series out there. As an aside it’s mentioned in the series that previous Shaman Kings included people such as Jesus of Nazareth. I do really enjoy the plot with all it’s various twists and turns, but I won’t spoil it for you.

Characters: The cast is freaking huge, and even if I personally dislike some characters I understand them which is something not many authors can do. Ren is probably my favorite, because he doesn’t take crap from anyone.

Art: The art in the series is quite good, but that’s not a surprise considering that this series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-shaman-king-by-hiroyuki-takei/feed/0Odallus The Dark Call Is Old School Coolhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/odallus-the-dark-call-is-old-school-cool/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/odallus-the-dark-call-is-old-school-cool/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 13:32:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27413This week Vincent Mahoney takes a crack at the brand new side-scroller Odallus The Dark Call, a game created by developer JoyMasher to have an old school look and feel, but which would run great on modern systems. So how did they do? Check out our Let's Play and find out.

This week Vincent Mahoney takes a crack at the brand new side-scroller Odallus The Dark Call, a game created by developer JoyMasher to have an old school look and feel, but which would run great on modern systems. So how did they do? Check out our Let’s Play and find out.

Plot Synopsis: When a portal from another world appears in Ginza, Tokyo, a legion of soldiers and monsters emerge to attack the city.

Plot: So far the plot is pretty freaking amazing, and it doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is a super bloody and serious series! I was so happy to see the first on screen blood that I nearly jumped for joy, a reaction I very rarely have for seeing animated blood. The even better news is that this series will be a 2-cour and run for 24 episodes!

Characters: I’m assuming we’ll get to meet more of the cast, but so far we’ve pretty much just met Itami an Otaku who works to support his hobby. I think I’m really going to enjoy the entire cast of characters.

Art: The animation is done by A-1 Pictures, recently known for their animation of the Sword Art Online series. It’s not ufotable quality, but it’s not nearly as bad as Toei. That being said I was quite happy with this first episode’s art. Let’s hope it can keep up. One thing of note is the absolutely awesome opening and ending sequences, as they are beautifully animated.

Music: The soundtrack is fantastic and I adored the opening and ending themes. I was particularly happy to hear one of my favorite J-Rock band, Kishida Kyodan and the Akeboshi Rockets, performing the opening song. The ending is sung by the female cast from what I could read of the credits, but don’t quote me on that.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-gate-episode-01-initial-reactions/feed/0Sensate Saturday: Another wild name change appears!http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-another-wild-name-change-appears/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-another-wild-name-change-appears/#commentsSat, 18 Jul 2015 13:32:34 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27358Another wild name change jumps out of the bushes! It's time to engage with Sensate Saturday, the successor to Shoujo Saturday, with Michael!

Hi everyone, as long time readers may remember way back in Feburary I was planning on renaming a few of my columns to better match the content I was actually covering. Well introducing Sensate Saturday! It’s going to cover all of what I previously covered with Shoujo Saturdays, which was romance series, but this time I’m going to continue and go into pretty much any super deep and emotional series I watch or read.

Why the name Sensate Saturday?: Well for the longest time I really wanted to keep the alliteration of the double S for the column title and I was trying to come up with a word that would suit the column and my plans for it. That’s what took me so long, and why I kept stalling as I really didn’t want to go for the obvious, but terrible, choice of Sexy Saturday.

What does Sensate mean?: It’s definition is “perceiving or perceived by the senses” or as I’m using it here feelings, whether it be terror or love. It comes from the late latin word sensatus which meant “having sense” and the english word sense.

What’s up with the image above?: Oh that’s the teaser for next week’s series.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/sensate-saturday-another-wild-name-change-appears/feed/0Doing Nothing in Tap Heroeshttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/doing-nothing-in-tap-heroes/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/doing-nothing-in-tap-heroes/#commentsSat, 18 Jul 2015 13:16:11 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27396This week Billy is back to his computer and he playing Tap Heroes. Is this game worth looking at or passing up?

This week is going to be a little strange. First of all, I’m finally back to reviewing games on my PC, kind of. This week’s “game” is called Tap Heroes and it got its start on mobile devices.

You’ll notice that I put quotation marks around the word game. Well, that’s because Tap heroes falls into a genre that is really only a game in name. This is the “Idle” genre.

For those that don’t know, the Idle genre of games includes a bunch of experiences where players basically sit around and do nothing and the game plays itself. Let’s be honest here, people. That’s not a game. I think it would be better to look at this as a program that’s goal is to count to infinity. It’s a goal that it will never stop working at because it can never complete it. Yet the player is still given the option to upgrade the program. Maybe now it will count faster, or perhaps it will starting counting by 10, 100 or 1,000. It doesn’t matter, because it will still never reach its goal.

Look at all the nothing I just did!

Fun Fact: As of writing this review, I have over 11 hours in Tap Heroes. Out of all this time, Only about 15 minutes of it has actually been to do anything interactive with it. It’s going to stay that way too because it’s getting uninstalled immediately. Also, the program continues to harvest gold and such even when it’s not running. Seriously, the program runs and progresses without the player even having it open. Doesn’t that just sound like loads of fun? (Sarcasm)

That may sound a bit like rough treatment for this program, but I think it’s fair. After all, who am I to determine what makes a game? I’m a freaking gamer. There are many genre’s of games that I don’t enjoy (simulation, sports and others). However, I would never go so far as to say they aren’t games.

So why exactly don’t I consider idle programs like Tap Heroes to be games. Well, that’s simple enough. A game typically requires players to use skill or stats to be completed. These idle programs only require time, and it’s not even active time from the player. Instead, the players just pop in every few hours, or even days, to upgrade the program so that it can gain money faster. Maybe they’ll even feel like helping the program reach it’s unobtainable goal by clicking to build numbers. Still, it ultimately doesn’t matter. There’s no true final goal and it requires none of the player’s skills or abilities to progress further.

Now, if these types of idle programs are something you enjoy (and dang do I feel sorry for you), then let me just tell you that Tap Heroes still isn’t a good option. First of all, I played the game on Steam. It costs $3. That’s right. $3 to sit around and do nothing. This program wants you to pay to do nothing! Next, there are already many other free idle programs that can be used instead. For example, there’s Clicker Heroes, AdVenture Capitalist, Tap Tap Infinity (Wait for it. This is where it gets good.) and freaking Tap Heroes. “But wait,” you say. Didn’t I just claim that Tap Heroes costs $3. True, I did, but that’s only on Steam. There’s a web browser version of the counting program that is completely free to use.

Even more nothing!

As far as the visuals go, I can’t deny that the puppet-looking setting is unique. I’ve never quite seen another program that has the guts to stand out like this. Especially since it’s only doing a mundane task like counting. So kudos on that. I guess.

Some of you longtime readers are probably searching your memory for another time I’ve used a program like this. Well, there’s one. It’s called Learn to Fly Idle. This genre of programs was still fairly new back when I reviewed it and I gave it a score. Even then it only came out with a 1.5 out of 5, and that was me being generous.

Tap Heroes won’t be getting a score. I’m a game reviewer. That means that I review games. To give this program a score would be admitting that it’s a game. I refuse to do that. Also, don’t expect to see any more reviews about these idle programs in the Time Waster. I’m not here to waste your time, so I’d rather just not talk about them at all.

(Note: Due to how our system here at GiN works, I can’t not have a score on this program. I’ll just fill it in with a 0 out of 5 as a placeholder. However, that doesn’t represent my actual views of the program, because they are much lower than that.)

It’s comedic in nature, but I think Dara Ó Briain’s skit on video games sums up what I love about this form of media/art the most, even if it’s just that element that frustrates him.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/doing-nothing-in-tap-heroes/feed/0PAC-MAN Bounce Launches For Mobile Phoneshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/pac-man-bounce-launches-for-mobile-phones/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/pac-man-bounce-launches-for-mobile-phones/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 21:19:05 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27393BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has released PAC-MAN Bounce, a new puzzle adventure game for smartphone and tablet devices. Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Studios Vancouver Inc. and Victory Square Games Inc., this free-to-play game is currently available in Canada and Australia on the App Store. PAC-MAN Bounce will soon be coming to Google Play followed by a worldwide release later this year. PAC-MAN Bounce is a collection of brain-busting puzzles strung together by a light-hearted story about helping PAC-MAN chomp through Snack Land and bounce his way back home! SWEET FEATURES: • MIND-BOGGLING LEVELS! Bounce across more than 100 unique levels. … Continue reading PAC-MAN Bounce Launches For Mobile Phones→

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has released PAC-MAN Bounce, a new puzzle adventure game for smartphone and tablet devices. Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Studios Vancouver Inc. and Victory Square Games Inc., this free-to-play game is currently available in Canada and Australia on the App Store. PAC-MAN Bounce will soon be coming to Google Play followed by a worldwide release later this year.

PAC-MAN Bounce is a collection of brain-busting puzzles strung together by a light-hearted story about helping PAC-MAN chomp through Snack Land and bounce his way back home!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/pac-man-bounce-launches-for-mobile-phones/feed/0A Tribute to Satoru Iwatahttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/a-tribute-to-satoru-iwata/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/a-tribute-to-satoru-iwata/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 14:37:45 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27370The gaming community was dealt a bitter blow this week, when Nintendo announced the death of its president and CEO, Satoru Iwata. Chella looks back at the career of the man who just wanted games to be fun for everyone.

The gaming community was dealt a bitter blow this week, when Nintendo announced the death of its president and CEO, Satoru Iwata. The industry and gamers alike turned to social media to share their tributes for Iwata, many creating touching artwork using characters from his games.

It’s not often that people know the name of the CEO of a company whose products they enjoy, never mind garnering their love and respect. But Iwata was one of those rare beasts, an executive who was actually a games developer. Not only was he a creative mind, but he was a capable leader and he had a keen sense for business. And he was a gamer.

Tributes pour in across the internet

He began his career in games at HAL Laboratory, as a programmer. Then just a small company, HAL and Iwata went on to give us the likes of Kirby’s Dream Land and that pink blob became a mascot. In true Iwata style, he wanted Kirby to be a game that anyone could play and this became his trademark.

When he took the helm at Nintendo, he was the first leader to have come from games development. Under Iwata’s shrewd guidance, Nintendo quickly returned to profit. He also ushered in the Nintendo DS, which was one of the most successful consoles of all time. The touchscreen feature was central to his determination to make games simpler for everyone to play, at a time when the likes of Sony and Microsoft were making increasingly complex games.

Iwata also oversaw the launch of the Nintendo Wii. Once again, its accessibility was the key to its success. Eschewing the classic controller in favour of a motion controller, there was no need to learn which button to press, widening its appeal to new audiences. It proved so popular that even the Queen Mother was rumoured to have had a go on the Royal Wii, at the odd family gathering.

Nintendo, under the leadership of Iwata cracked the conundrum of how to entice non-gamers into the world of gaming. There were Wii consoles in old people’s homes, for heaven’s sake. But he wasn’t always the man with the Midas touch, as the launch of the 3DS saw a change in fortunes. However, Iwata brought a new honesty and culpability to the games industry, when he took a 50% cut in his wage to apologise.

More recently, Iwata was responsible for another bold move for Nintendo, as it announced plans to develop games for smartphones. On the brink of the launch of a new console, the loss of Iwata, at such an early age, must be a mighty blow for Nintendo. He saved Nintendo and brought many people a lot of happy moments and that’s why he’s being missed the world over.

“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/a-tribute-to-satoru-iwata/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Kirby 64http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-kirby-64/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-kirby-64/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 13:32:44 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27346Michael's back with a game he enjoyed immensely for this week's Retro Game Friday. It's Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I enjoyed immensely! It’s Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards!

Plot Synopsis: Ripple Star, a planet populated by fairies, is invaded and conquered by Dark Matter. Ribbon, one of the fairies, flees from home with their sacred treasure, the great Crystal. In their pursuit, three Dark Matter shatter the Crystal into pieces throughout the galaxy and Ribbon falls onto Pop Star.

Plot: The plot’s nothing amazing, but it was the gameplay that mattered.

Gameplay: Being the only Nintendo 64 Kirby game it took full advantage of the systems processor to produce a 2D Kirby game that was fully rendered in 3d. It played a lot like any other Kirby game, and was quite a lot of fun as a kid. I enjoyed immensely combining the seven basic copy powers, with Cutter and Burning being my personal favorite and go to ability.

Art: It’s not aged very well, but it’s not super terrible either.

Music: Classic Kirby music.

Overall: This is a game that was quite fun as a kid, but I’d probably be bored as an adult.

For those who like: Kirby games, Platformers, Simple but Fun Gameplay!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-kirby-64/feed/0Clearing the Backlog: Halfway Point New Year’s Resolutionhttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/staff-editorial/clearing-the-backlog-halfway-point-new-years-resolution/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/staff-editorial/clearing-the-backlog-halfway-point-new-years-resolution/#commentsThu, 16 Jul 2015 14:01:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27237Billy made a New Year's Resolution to play over 25 games in his back catalog. Now that he's at the halfway part of the year, we check in to see how he's doing on this monumental project. We know he beat Final Fantasy III, but has a ways to go. Good luck Billy!

It’s reached the halfway point of 2015 and that means that it’s time for me to check in on my New Year’s Resolution. This is part three of what will be a five part series. If you haven’t checked out the first two parts, you can do so at these links. Part 1 and Part 2.

For those that don’t feel like reading through those last two parts, here’s a quick summary. I’m attempting to beat 25 games during 2015. Some of these are games I’ve started and never beat, but most of them are completely new experiences for me.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what I’ve been up to these last three months. Of course I’ve been playing games, but what games have I been playing? Here’s the list of games that I’ve beaten as of July 9, 2015.

Final Fantasy III

Chrono Trigger

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Metroid Prime

The Legend of Dragoon

For those keeping track of how many games on my backlog that I’ve beat so far this year, this puts me at 12. That means I’ve basically reached the halfway mark on my list after roughly six months. This is a good sign and hopefully I can keep the momentum going through the rest of the year.

I’m not too worried about the time I’ll have for beating games on my backlog in the next quarter. What does worry me though is the final stretch of the year. There’s a lot of holidays in those final three months (including a wedding anniversary) and I’m wondering just how much gaming I’ll be able to get done during this busy season. This is also when a lot of new games are released.

I’ve also hit a small speed bump when it comes to PC gaming. Unfortunately, my second hard drive that I keep all of my games on has started going bad. This means that some games in my Steam library are unreachable at the moment due to disk read errors (some of which are games on my backlog). I’m trying to figure out when will be the best time for me to sit down and grab what I need before everything is gone. Most of my important files are already backed up, but I know it’s not going to be any fun moving my Steam games over to the new hard drive. In theory, it should be a simple process, but I think we all know just how well Murphy’s law works.

When it comes to games that I’m currently playing on my backlog, there actually aren’t a lot. The only games on my list that are in progress at the moment are Ar Tonelico, The Witcher and Titan Quest: Immortal Throne. These re all long haul types of games that are gonna take me a while to beat. I’m looking to add some shorter, more action-oriented games to my current load to help mix up the gameplay. I’m thinking Okami and Assassin’s Creed II.

I hope you all continue to enjoy your gaming endeavors and please wish me luck as I continue to try and clear out my backlog!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/staff-editorial/clearing-the-backlog-halfway-point-new-years-resolution/feed/0TNT: Death March Volume 01 by Ainana Hirohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-death-march-volume-01-by-ainana-hiro/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-death-march-volume-01-by-ainana-hiro/#commentsThu, 16 Jul 2015 13:32:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27308Michael's back with another new series for this week's Translation Necessary Thursday! It's time to start dancing to the rhapsody of Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku Volume 01 by Ainana Hiro!

This week I’m back with another series I recently read and enjoyed immensely. It’s Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku Volume 01, or Death Marching to the Parallel World Rhapsody in English, by Ainana Hiro!

Plot Synopsis: Suzuki Satou, an adult programmer, suddenly notices that he’s thrown into another world wearing his casual clothes at level 1. He gained an insanely high level and many treasures after using the 3-times-disposable-magic, Meteor Shower, one time. After that he intend to go around on another world “sightseeing tour”!

Plot: The plot is pretty great, and isn’t intensely serious like Arifureta or Tate no Yuusha, but it’s still great. I really enjoy the fact that Satou doesn’t really want to go home, he just wants to go sightseeing, as it’s a relatively novel premise (pun intended).

Characters: Satou is a great lead, and the rest of the cast is also pretty exceptional. Well except for Satou’s naming sense which is absolutely crap. Riza is probably my favorite of the female cast in volume 01.

Art: I read the Web Novel so I only took a peak at the Light Novels artwork, but it seems pretty good.

Overall: This is well worth your time to read, it’s pretty funny and it has enough seriousness to be enjoyable.

For those who like: Action, Fantasy, Parallel Worlds, Magic, Great Cast of Characters, Excellent Plot.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-death-march-volume-01-by-ainana-hiro/feed/0Trials Fusion DLC Takes Flighthttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trials-fusion-dlc-takes-flight/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trials-fusion-dlc-takes-flight/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 21:03:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27367Today, Ubisoft released Trials Fusion: Awesome Level MAX, a downloadable expansion pack for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The Awesome Level MAX is available as a standalone DLC to existing Trials Fusion players, or as part of Trials Fusion: The Awesome Max Edition, a new bundle including the main Trials Fusion game, the full Season Pass of six DLCs and the just released Awesome Level MAX DLC. Both are available to download now. Level MAX DLC introduces two immersive, new events to Trials Fusion – Awesome Adventure and RedLynx vs. All-Stars – that rely on … Continue reading Trials Fusion DLC Takes Flight→

Today, Ubisoft released Trials Fusion: Awesome Level MAX, a downloadable expansion pack for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The Awesome Level MAX is available as a standalone DLC to existing Trials Fusion players, or as part of Trials Fusion: The Awesome Max Edition, a new bundle including the main Trials Fusion game, the full Season Pass of six DLCs and the just released Awesome Level MAX DLC. Both are available to download now.

The Awesome Adventure ups the ante on extreme motobike riding with a new array of platform-racing challenges by transforming your character into a gun-wielding cat riding a flamethrowing unicorn. The Awesome Adventure includes eight new classic Trials tracks, various mini-games and an entertaining soundtrack for the ride.

The RedLynx vs. All-Stars content reflects the team’s committment to supporting the active community of track-builders and the desire to continue increasing the uniqueness of the Trials experience by regularly adding eccentric, new levels. The pack pits RedLynx’s own track creators against the top track creators in the Trials community from across the world. RedLynx vs. All-Stars includes a collection of more than 20 all-new tracks.

For the latest information about Trials Fusion, please visit trialsgame.com.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trials-fusion-dlc-takes-flight/feed/0Pook Plays Loot Hero DXhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/pook-plays-loot-hero-dx/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/pook-plays-loot-hero-dx/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 13:46:28 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27342This week our very own Pook n' Pie, also known as Vincent Mahoney, takes on brand new game Loot Hero DX in a panda bear smashing, minotaur splatting and dragon squashing no-holds-barred Let's Play where the one who dies with the most loot wins!

This week our very own Pook n’ Pie, also known as Vincent Mahoney, takes on brand new game Loot Hero DX in a panda bear smashing, minotaur splatting and dragon squashing no-holds-barred play through where the one who dies with the most loot wins! Follow along with this amusing Let’s Play and see if Loot Hero DX is worth your hard-earned loot, er, money.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/pook-plays-loot-hero-dx/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: Satan’s Sword by Debra Dunbarhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-satans-sword-by-debra-dunbar/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-satans-sword-by-debra-dunbar/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 13:32:37 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27300Michael's back with another entry in the excellent and mischievous Imp series for this week's Book Series Wednesday. It's Satan's Sword by Debra Dunbar! Spoilers for Book 01 inside!

This week for Book Series Wednesday I’m covering the second book in the Imp Series. It’s Satan’s Sword by Debra Dunbar!

Plot Synopsis: Samantha Martin is an imp, bound by an angel who allows her to live among the humans . . . as long as she follows his rules. It’s never easy for an imp to follow the rules, especially now that Sam’s brother, Dar, has found himself in hot water.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, although I won’t spoil the story it’s still very hilarious.

Characters: The expanded cast we get to meet in this entry is great, especially the Gate Guardian who happens to have a thing for Sweet and Sour pork. That was one of my favorite additions to the cast. Dar is also great.

Overall: A great sequel, it expands the cast and world and introduces us to the new characters for future entries. Well worth reading.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-satans-sword-by-debra-dunbar/feed/0Enjoy Thought-Provoking Horror With Twistedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/enjoy-thought-provoking-horror-with-twisted/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/enjoy-thought-provoking-horror-with-twisted/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 17:41:36 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27334This week Michael tackles the horrific tale spun by author Michaelbrent Collings in Twisted, one of the most thought-provoking horror books to come out in a while.

I’m back with a book I was approached directly by the author with a request for review, and while it’s definitely not my standard genre, I did read it and found it very thought provoking. It’s time to enter a house of horrors with Twisted by Michaelbrent Collings!

Plot Synopsis: The Douglas family just wants to live their lives, and maybe find a bit of happiness. But when the ghost in their home breaks out of a centuries-long sleep, all hope for happiness will die. Because the thing that haunts them is not just evil…it is something much, much worse. Watching them from the shadows. Hungry to start killing once more, and thirsty for the blood of the children, the blood he has so long been denied. The thing that haunts them is not just evil. It is twisted.

Plot: The plot is quite thrilling, and like I said above, thought provoking as it deals with some not so standard horror tropes like child abuse. I was thoroughly frightened by the book, which I suppose is the whole point of the book, so a huge success in that regard. It was also a success in regard to dealing with those not so standard tropes as it really did make me think about things like the cycle of abuse. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but more for the thought provoking aspects than the horror. I don’t tend to enjoy Horror as a genre in anything as I’ve got enough nightmares of my own to deal with.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/enjoy-thought-provoking-horror-with-twisted/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: The End of an Era, Satoru Iwatahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-the-end-of-an-era/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-the-end-of-an-era/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 13:32:44 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27317Michael's back with some somber news for this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's an end of an era, rest well Mr. Iwata.

I had planned to do something completely different for this week’s Video Game Tuesday, but I was shocked as was the rest of the gaming industry to learn on July 11/12th that Satoru Iwata had died. So in honor of his immense legacy to the industry, that post has been postponed. Instead you’ll be getting this.

Satoru Iwata was the President of Nintendo starting in 2002 and lead the way for the Wii, Nintendo DS and 3DS’s massive successes and even during the waning years with the Wii U more recently he still was a man of honor and integrity who cut his own pay in half when Nintendo didn’t meet it’s expected sales.

He worked on multiple series as part of HAL prior to working with Nintendo and had a hand in Kirby and other games like Earthbound.

I’m at a loss for words as this is just a shock to my system, so I’ll ask you all to please understand that I and the rest of the gaming industry are now short one amazing man who affected everyone in the industry.

To the Iwata family know that mine and thousands of other’s thoughts and prayers are with you right now. Satoru was a giant among giants and we will all miss him.

But as one clever admirer put so bluntly on his wikipedia page, gods cannot die.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-the-end-of-an-era/feed/0Archie Based Show Riverdale Announced For The CWhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/archie-based-show-riverdale-announced-for-the-cw/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/archie-based-show-riverdale-announced-for-the-cw/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 14:43:07 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27350Just announced at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2015, Archie Comics released major details about the upcoming "Riverdale" live-action series.

]]>Just announced at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2015, Archie Comics released major details about the upcoming “Riverdale” live-action series.

Originally developed for FOX, “Riverdale”—a dark, twisty, one-hour drama based on the iconic “Archie” comic book characters, including Archie, Betty, and Veronica, as well as Josie and the Pussycats—is now set-up at The CW network, with the key players remaining the same: Warner Brothers is the studio, The Flash and Arrow chief Greg Berlanti is producing and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Archie’s Chief Creative Officer, is writing the pilot.

“The CW is a perfect for for the vibe and tone of the Riverdale series,” said Archie Comics CEO/Publisher, Jon Goldwater. “We couldn’t be in better hands. Working with WB, Greg Berlanti and having Roberto involved has made this a dream project come to life. This is a major, major thing for this company.”

As fans know, Aguirre-Sacasa is also the mastermind behind Archie’s two bestselling and acclaimed horror titles, Afterlife With Archie and Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. He is also a consulting producer on the “Supergirl” series.

The “Riverdale” news comes hot on the heels of the hugely successful sellout Archie relaunch, kicked off by a stellar debut issue from the powerhouse creative team of writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples, which has been the buzz of this year’s Comic-Con.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/archie-based-show-riverdale-announced-for-the-cw/feed/0It’s Tyrannosaurus-sized Action With LEGO Jurassic Worldhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/its-tyrannosaurus-sized-action-with-lego-jurassic-world/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/its-tyrannosaurus-sized-action-with-lego-jurassic-world/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 14:14:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27259Covering all four Jurassic films, LEGO Jurassic World lets players control most of the characters from the movies as well as the dinosaurs in classic LEGO-based block building and smashing action.

Summer movie blockbusters don’t generally get bigger than the Jurassic series. Who doesn’t love giant dinosaurs stomping around? And, let’s not forget that the original Jurassic Park helped to set the standard for modern CGI world-creation that we more or less take for granted today in films. So it’s no surprise that developer Tt Games has come out with a LEGO-based game spans all four movies, not unlike what they did with LEGO Indiana Jones or LEGO Batman. The only surprise is that it’s taken this long.

There have been a lot of LEGO based games over the years. While most have been pretty good, there were a few missteps along the way. LEGO Jurassic World however is among the best of the series, right up there with LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Marvel Heroes and LEGO Batman. When you originally get to the island that holds the park, you are given the choice of whether to go to Jurassic Park for the classic movies or Jurassic World to experience the new stuff.

SPOILER ALERT: Do you think she might be pregnant?

Those of you who have played LEGO games before will be immediately familiar with the basic gameplay. I guess if it works then there is no reason not to keep doing the same things, and it does seem to appeal to both younger players and adults. Generally, you will be running and jumping though the various levels, though normally at your own pace as opposed to platformer style. While exploring, you will have the chance to solve various puzzles, though these are exceedingly easy. It mostly involves using the correct character at the right time. For example, only park administrators can type on the security gate key panels, while only certain doctors can examine dinosaur poop piles. There are also some objects that need to be shot with a long-range weapon and certain heavy stones and barricades which can only be smashed with dinosaur characters – which can be unlocked just like normal people.

Regardless of which character (person or dinosaur) you are playing, the game takes you through the story of all of the movies. And it hits all the high-points of each of the movies too. It’s been years since I watched the original Jurassic Park, but I found myself easily reliving all of the best moments, like the first time the main characters see that dinosaurs have actually been brought back to life. The game is somewhat linear in that story missions follow the films, but each level does at least offer a huge swath of the open world to play inside.

What a beautiful calm before the storm.

Playing in story mode, which can be tackled with one or two people together, you are tasked with completing various scenes from the movies, but have quite a lot to do besides just that. Almost every object can be smashed open, which results in a huge shower of LEGO bricks to collect. The bricks are effectively money in the game, which can be used for various things later on such as unlocking new playable characters. And there is no shortage of it given that almost every tree, rock and shrub can be clobbered for money. I often got 100 percent completion in terms of the number of collected blocks on a level, with plenty more to collect still out there.

Once you are finished with a level, you can go back in free-play mode and collect even more bricks too, all of which counts toward your total bank. In fact, there are often optional objects in story levels which can’t be accessed or broken because the correct character who can do so has not yet been unlocked. But you can always go back once you have the correct “key” character for whatever “lock” you could not access before. Over time, everything in the game should become accessible in both parks.

No bones about it, living dinosaurs would be so much cooler, don’t you think?

Compared to other LEGO titles, there is a lot less combat and fighting in this one. It’s much more of an open world exploration experience that with any LEGO game before it. The action sequences are mostly restricted to times when people are running from dinosaurs and you have to get away fast. Playing LEGO Jurassic World is almost a relaxing experience, perfect for those who want a break from the normally intense and super-serious titles that seem to be all the rage these days.

And, it’s actually a lot more efficient, and one could argue much more fun, to play with two people instead of by yourself. The drop-in and drop-out function makes this an easy option. Just add another human of almost any age, at any point in the game, to start exploring the park with a friend.

The one thing that I find odd is that even park equipment is destructible. I have no problem smashing things and getting money, but it seems a bit, I don’t know, wrong, to be beating up park gear for money. The other odd choice is that you can beat up LEGO people and smash them to bits too. Why you would want to destroy your coworkers or friends is beyond me, but they are destructible. They come right back after you bash them, but again, it just seems like an odd choice.

Another classic scene from the original movies.

The game does everything it can to maintain its E-10+ ESRB rating, to the point where the LEGO Jurassic World game has to deviate from the movies in places. Even in the Jurassic Park movies, which were decidedly campier than the new Jurassic World film, there are things that might be disturbing to young players, so they are changed in the game. For example, early in the first movie, a cow is lowered into the raptor pen and devoured by the hungry lizards at feeding time. In the game you still have to set up the cow to become dinner, but at the last second, as he is being lowered in, he somehow switches places with the human operator and lowers him into the pit instead in a non-playable cut-scene. The hapless human quickly emerges from the enclosure without his LEGO clothes but otherwise unharmed. I guess the dinosaurs had a taste for fake plastic denim and nothing else. This breaks the mood a bit for me, but I understand why it was done, though it makes the ability to club your coworkers even more puzzling.

We clocked the T-Rex at 30 miles per hour, but not like this!

Graphically, LEGO Jurassic World has improved from previous LEGO titles, at least in some ways. The character models look more or less the same as they always have, I mean, they are representations of little plastic people so they can only get so high-res. But the backgrounds have been given a really good improvement. If you don’t look too closely, the world could almost be mistaken for a realistic backdrop, not one made out of thousands of tiny bricks.

You are breeding LEGO raptors?

The sound in the game is also quite good, with the exception of the voices from the older movies. While Tt Games obviously had access to the actual sound files of spoken lines from the original movie actors, it almost seems like they got that feed from an old VCR tape that had been played one too many times. When the main characters from the older movies speak, it sometimes sounds like they are talking over a radio or something as there is an audible humming sound. It’s not game breaking, but one wonders why the developers didn’t have access to higher quality sound files if they obviously had the rights to use them. The music by contrast is sweeping and epic, and will stir your sense of adventure, just like the music in the films likely did.

LEGO Jurassic World is one of those classic LEGO games that so many people have grown to love over the years. Only this one has over 20 dinosaurs as playable characters too, all of which are quite fun as you explore Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna from the films. It will certainly appeal to anyone who enjoyed any of the movies, but can also stand alone as a really fun game in its own right. And the dinosaurs don’t hurt its enjoyment one bit. Did we mention the cool dinosaurs?

LEGO Jurassic World easily earns 4 and 1/2 GiN Gems and rockets close to the top of the LEGO games series.

Just one more shot of T-Rex before you go. The true star of the movies and the game!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/its-tyrannosaurus-sized-action-with-lego-jurassic-world/feed/0Manga Monday: Ballroom e Youkoso by Takeuchi Tomohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-ballroom-e-youkoso-by-takeuchi-tomo/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-ballroom-e-youkoso-by-takeuchi-tomo/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 13:32:51 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27268Michael's back with a series he never thought he'd enjoy for this week's Manga Monday. It's time to glide across the room with Ballroom e Youkoso by Takeuchi Tomo!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series I’ve only recently started, but enjoyed quite a bit. It’s Ballroom e Youkoso by Takeuchi Tomo!

Plot Synopsis: An ordinary middle school student, Fujita Tatara couldn’t find any objective in life and spent his days idly.
One day, a group of delinquents picks a fight with him and he is saved by a mysterious man. After that, the man surprisingly takes him to a ballroom dancing class!

Plot: The plot is pretty cliche, but it’s still good enough that I enjoyed the first few chapters immensely.

Characters: Tatara is a great main character and the rest of the cast is pretty cool as well.

Art: The art is great, and it makes the dancing come alive over the various panels.

Overall: This is looking to be a good series, give it a try.

For those who like: Dancing, Shonen Series, Sports Series, Drama, Slice of Life.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-ballroom-e-youkoso-by-takeuchi-tomo/feed/0Nintendo Announces President Satoru Iwata Has Diedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/nintendo-announces-president-satoru-iwata-has-died/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/nintendo-announces-president-satoru-iwata-has-died/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 00:58:23 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27326Sad news out of Japan today as Nintendo released a brief statement confirming that president Satoru Iwata has died at the age of 55. The statement says in part that, “Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.” Iwata has always been a fan favorite of Nintendo players, joining the HAL Laboratory in the 1980s. He worked his way up the ladder and gained many admirers by working on games like EarthBound and Balloon Fight. In the year 2000 he became a Director for Nintendo … Continue reading Nintendo Announces President Satoru Iwata Has Died→

]]>Sad news out of Japan today as Nintendo released a brief statement confirming that president Satoru Iwata has died at the age of 55.
Satoru Iwata

The statement says in part that, “Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.”

Iwata has always been a fan favorite of Nintendo players, joining the HAL Laboratory in the 1980s. He worked his way up the ladder and gained many admirers by working on games like EarthBound and Balloon Fight. In the year 2000 he became a Director for Nintendo and then was appointed as the fourth president of the company in 2002.

Iwata had to skip the 2014 E3 Expo show due to his failing health, but after an operation it was assumed that he was doing better. He even posted to Twitter that he was progressing well, which makes today’s sad news even more of a shock.

More recently, Iwata gained even more fans and admirers as the host of the popular Nintendo Direct programs.

Everyone at GiN and throughout the industry will miss Satoru Iwata. He did a lot of good for the industry and Nintendo, and made a lot of games that made people happy.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/nintendo-announces-president-satoru-iwata-has-died/feed/0The Dry Season for Gaming is Herehttp://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/the-dry-season-for-gaming-is-here/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/the-dry-season-for-gaming-is-here/#commentsSun, 12 Jul 2015 19:31:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27313The dry season for gaming is here and Jordan is doing his best to keep himself going during this tough time for gamers.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/the-dry-season-for-gaming-is-here/feed/1Anime Sunday: Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works Final Impressionshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-fatestay-night-unlimited-blade-works-final-impressions/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-fatestay-night-unlimited-blade-works-final-impressions/#commentsSun, 12 Jul 2015 13:32:30 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27244Michael's back with his final thoughts on a favorite series of his that recently ended for this week's Anime Sunday. It's time to destroy the idealism of youth with Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works!

This week on Anime Sunday I’m covering my final thoughts on the Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works adaptation that recently ended.

Plot: It was very well done, and I’m glad that it had nods to the prequel series Fate/Zero, as was hinted at way back in Episode 02 by Saber. I had one little criticism and that’s the fact that the sex scene was just straight up removed, I didn’t want anything obscene or excessive, but it paid very little respect to the original Visual Novel in that regard. At least it wasn’t as bad as the Fate route series which had a really odd sequence.

Characters: I loved how the series went into the various backstories of most of the various masters, but I’m sad that Sakura and Lancer got the short straws and were never explored. That being said that’s a minor complaint because I have to say that they did an amazing job with everything that was the Unlimited Blade Works route and putting it into an Anime.

Art: ufotable consistently pulls off masterworks, and this series just confirms my assertion that they are the best anime studio out there, rivaling any other studio with ease and beating most outright in terms of quality work. I think I noticed one animation gaff, and it was a very minor one during a single frame of animation, which for a 26 episode series is freaking amazing.

Music: Amazingly well done, it set up the tone of the series perfectly and I enjoyed every opening and ending theme just as much. I particularly enjoyed the opening themes, performed by Mashiro Ayano and Aimer.

Overall: If you want to watch an amazing series look no further it has pretty much everything you’ll ever want in a series. It truly is that good.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-fatestay-night-unlimited-blade-works-final-impressions/feed/0Shoujo Saturday: Kuzu no Honkai by Yokoyari Mengohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-kuzu-no-honkai-by-yokoyari-mengo/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-kuzu-no-honkai-by-yokoyari-mengo/#commentsSat, 11 Jul 2015 13:32:00 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27240Michaels back with a great new series for this week's Shoujo Saturday! It's Kuzu no Honkai!

This week on Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series I really enjoyed. It’s Kuzu no Honkai, or Scum’s Wish in English, by Yokoyari Mengo!

Plot Synopsis: 17-year-old Awaya Mugi and Yasuraoka Hanabi appear to be the ideal couple. They are both pretty popular, and they seem to suit each other well. However, outsiders don’t know of the secret they share.

Plot: The plot is quite good, and it’s easily one of the better romance series I’ve read. I’d list it up there with Domestic na Kanojo, in terms of quality.

Characters: Mugi and Hanabi are excellent leads, and their secret is easily one of the better plot hooks I’ve read in a romance series. I won’t spoil it, but it’s quite good.

Art: The art is very good, and suits the series perfectly.

Overall: If you want a good romance series, this is one of the better ones I can recommend.

For those who like: Slice of Life, Romance, Drama, Great Plot, Excellent Characters, Fantastic Artwork.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-kuzu-no-honkai-by-yokoyari-mengo/feed/0Jumping Off a Cliff in Bass Jumphttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/jumping-off-a-cliff-in-bass-jump/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/jumping-off-a-cliff-in-bass-jump/#commentsSat, 11 Jul 2015 13:15:43 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27284This week Billy is still stuck with his phone and he's finally wishing he could return to computer games after playing Bass Jump.

I’m still on my mobile kick after getting my new smartphone. Funny thing about it is that I don’t want to be. I’m actually having some computer troubles that’s keeping me from playing some games I’ve been meaning to, but you can ready about that in my editorial that’s going to go up on Thursday.

This week I played a game called Bass Jump. As the title suggests, this game has players doing a lot of jumping while listening to music. The gameplay only requires users to tap their screen to jump from one wall to another while moving forward at a constant rate. There are several different levels of difficulty to play on and it offers a fair bit of challenge.

There was so much potential here!

The visual’s in Bass Jump are pretty pleasing to the eye. The game has a full black background and the square that the player controls is also brightly colored. Lines that represent walls and the holes that players can fall into stick out well, which means that mistakes are the player’s fault. Players can also choose to buy new colors and shapes to play with with money earned in game or bought with real money.

Fair warning: You’ve officially read the last good thing I have to say about this piece of junk game.

So, I just talked about how Bass Jump has a store, right? Shapes and colors aren’t the only things that can be purchased in this store. There’s also music that can be bought so that player’s have a variety to listen to while playing the game. This doesn’t sound bad, until I tell you that all the extra music that the game offers comes from the player’s personal library on their phone. That’s right, this game has the nerve to try and sell player’s their own music. That is freaking stupid!

Alright, so I played Bass Jump for a while and I accumulated enough coins to “Buy” several of MY songs that I ALREADY OWN (Seriously, I can’t get over how stupid of a concept that is). I turned off the one generic song that comes with the game and turned on one of my own songs to test out the feature…and it starts playing the generic song again. I tested this out with a few more songs and discovered that the game just sometimes doesn’t like to play certain songs, despite them all being in MP3 format.

From my own personal experience, I’ve found that ever one in three songs the player “Buys” will actually work with the game. The game also has a problem when trying to loop a single song or move onto the next track. It’ll just freak out and go quiet. I’ve had it do the same thing when an ad pops up and it won’t start playing again unless I go to the store and click on one of my purchased songs.

Why do I have to buy my own songs!

Oh gosh, let’s talk about trying to navigate your music library via this load of crap. See, Bass Jump just grabs every single audio file on your smartphone and throws it into one giant lump of music. I’ve got right around 5GB of music on my phone and this made it nigh impossible to actually find a song I wanted to purchase or play. Same goes for trying to turn music on after the game wigs out and shuts it off.

With a name like Bass Jump, you might be thinking that this game is rhythm-based. Who could really blame you? I did just spend all this time talking about the game’s audio options and it definitely tries to make it a focus as well. However, the game doesn’t rely on rhythm at all. Playing one song won’t get the player any different type of level than what another song will. This is such a huge missed opportunity for the game. I was so looking forward to tapping away at my phone to the beats of some of my favorite songs, but that would’ve actually required the developer to actually put some work into this game, and it’s quite apparent that this was never their goal.

Tired of the rant? Good, cause I’m tired of playing this waste of time. It’s gone. It’s off my phone and it’s never returning. Please avoid this game. Don’t let these yahoos make money off you via ads and you play their weak attempt at a game. This game persevered to be buried in the cesspool depths of the Google Play Store with all the one star games.

TL:DR — Bass Jump will make you want to go base jumping without a parachute.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/jumping-off-a-cliff-in-bass-jump/feed/0Shenmue 3 And The New e-Begging Realityhttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/shenmue-3-and-the-new-e-begging-reality/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/shenmue-3-and-the-new-e-begging-reality/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 14:47:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27278Todd has been a huge fan of the Shenmue series since the beginning, so you would think that the news that Shenmue 3 is being developed would thrill him. But the way that Sony is using crowd-sourcing instead of directly supporting the game really rubs him the wrong way.

You know, the problem with writing a column every other week is that by the time I write about it, it becomes old news. And there are times that I have to make a decision of whether or not I should write about it or just let it move on.

But then there are times that something comes out that makes me so angry, so incensed, so straight up betrayed, that I do need to mention it.

And that is what Sony did at this year’s E3.

I should have known after the impressive showing that Microsoft did this year, including all their first party announcements, early access to games (a la Steam Greenlight, which I will get to later,) and of course, the launch of 360 backwards compatibility, that Sony would need to do something in order to try and prove that they care more about the gamers.

And that moment was the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter.

At first I thought they were going to announce that they were going to publish and fund the game themselves. But no, they dragged Yu Suzuki out to the stage to promote of all things, a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise $2 million to “show interest” in Shenmue 3. They couldn’t go down the normal route that many other game publishers would go (such as focus groups,) but rather tell their fans to give their hard earned money to show interest.

To me, that’s a slap in the face to gamers everywhere.

Before I go into detail, let me give my personal experiences over crowfunding sites. Not just Kickstarter, but similar sites such as Indiegogo and GoFundMe. I first heard of Indiegogo when James Rolfe, aka the Angry Video Game Nerd announced his own campaign to fund his movie. Despite lucrative partnerships with ScrewAttack and GameTrailers, he still asked his fans for $75,000 to cover his movie.

They donated $325,327, and there weren’t any stretch goals to make the donations more worthy.

Since then I did see some Kickstarters that did follow through with products I was interested in, such as the Ouya (which made nearly $8.6 million) and independently developed Mighty No. 9 (over $4 million including PayPal funding) and hoping this would be a good thing.

But since then I saw other campaigns that ended up being a joke, such as raising over $55,000 just to make potato salad, or video producers starting their own campaign to have their fans pay their rent, or even their wedding.

And then there are those who ask for money to upgrade their studio in return for new shows to be in development. A few years ago a well-known entertainment site asked for $50,000 for 40 episodes of a game show (but thankfully also provided some stretch goals for extra programming.) At the end of the campaign, nearly $90,000 was raised.

But this campaign ended back in August 2013, and since then they only made one game show pilot (which was released to scathing reviews, even by the site’s hard core fans.) That might have been what forever stained my opinion of crowdfunding once and for all.

So now here we are with Sony announcing the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. In one day it surpassed its “interest” goal of $2 million dollars, and as of this writing, the campaign is over $4.5 million with 8 days to go. But still it made me mad that Sony would use their E3 event to do a stunt like this. Why would they not just help fund it themselves? Yes I know Sony is hurting financially. They ended up killing off their Bravia television and Vaio computer lines, and their credit rating was reduced to “junk” status. But still, their PlayStation 4 status is going strong, so why not help fund Shenmue 3?

It turns out that Sony is helping with the funds, so that makes me wonder why Sony would keep going on with the Kickstarter campaign. Even more, I have to ask, what if this game doesn’t get developed or published? Will those who donated get their money back? Or will they end up just throwing their money away on fan service, nostalgia, and broken promises?

And apparently this is just the start of a new trend for Sony, because earlier this month they announced their “First Flight” program, where they are asking for the public to fund their own research and development. It is really is getting out of hand and turning into a term that I hear a lot, and have even used it a lot myself…e-begging.

I’ve seen other methods of supporting a game during development and at least there you do have a product that you help test out until the final game is released. Take a look at Steam Greenlight. Even though there are games that end up being horrible, at least there if you cover the development, you do have something to play and provide feedback for, and when the final game is released, you will already have the finished copy.

Microsoft is following up as well with their Game Preview program announced at E3. As of now, two games are available for the Preview Program: Elite Dangerous and The Long Dark. I’ve tested Elite Dangerous vigorously since its Preview launch and enjoyed it so much that I bought the early access game for $31. However, when the game moves from the Preview Program and achieves full release status, I will already own the game when it sells at full price.

I’m more than ok with that, because at least I won’t have to wait until 2017 to see if I’m going to get a final product or not.
I’ll be back to this come 2017, whether a final Shenmue 3 comes out or not.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/shenmue-3-and-the-new-e-begging-reality/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Star Wars Racerhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-racer/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-racer/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 13:32:27 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27223Michael's back with the only thing good ever to come of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy for this week's Retro Game Friday! It's Star Wars Racer!

This week on Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I thought was fun, but never knew was super popular until writing this post. It’s Star Wars Racer, or Star Episode I: Racer in full.

Plot Synopsis: It’s a racing game, they almost never have a plot. But hey that’s a good thing in this game’s case as it’s the only good thing to ever come out of the prequels.

Gameplay: It plays a lot like F-Zero or Wipeout in that it’s all high speed racing with hard to control vehicles. However it somehow manages to outsell those two series, and is the current world record holder for Sci-Fi Racing games in units sold. Go figure.

Art: It’s pretty bad in today’s standards, but hey it was pretty awesome at the time.

Music: Don’t remember much, but it definitely was a Star Wars game.

Overall: You might want to play it if you can get over the stigma attached to the prequels. You don’t have to though as it’s not super amazing.

For those who like: Racing, High Speed Games, Star Wars Prequel Movies (somehow).

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-racer/feed/0Books we’d like to see as games Part 2http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/books-wed-like-to-see-as-games-part-2/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/books-wed-like-to-see-as-games-part-2/#commentsThu, 09 Jul 2015 17:57:27 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27272Arguing the Toss with Chella this week, is John Breeden, with part 2 of books that would make great games. This episode involves serial killers, rafts and orcs.

James and Chella are…wait, there’s something wrong. That’s not James! An imposter? Nay, simply our editor, John Breeden, stepping in to save the day and deliver another delectable episode of Argue the Toss.

It seems James has left them in the library, so they’re still talking about books. Lend them your ears, dear listeners as they go all Bloomsbury group on us. This episode involves serial killers, rafts and orcs.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/books-wed-like-to-see-as-games-part-2/feed/0TNT: Kenja no Mago Volume 01 by Yoshioka Tsuyoshihttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-kenja-no-mago-volume-01-by-yoshioka-tsuyoshi/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-kenja-no-mago-volume-01-by-yoshioka-tsuyoshi/#commentsThu, 09 Jul 2015 13:32:58 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27210Michael's back with another Web Novel for this week's Translation Necessary Thursday! It's time to be amazed by Kenja no Mago Volume 01 by Yoshioka Tsuyoshi!

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series I started reading a while back and enjoyed, even if it’s only been translated a little bit. It’s Kenja no Mago, or Magi’s Grandson in English, Volume 01 by Yoshioka Tsuyoshi!

Plot Synopsis: Thanks to various magic, the human race have been saved from calamity many, many times. Retaining his memories from his previous life, a boy named Shin, was picked up by an old man known to the world as “Magi.”

Shin was brought up by the Magi, who had retired to a secular place in the forest, as his own grandson. With the memories of his past life, he absorbed the Magi’s craft and grew up to be able to develop his own magic.

Then, his grandfather told him he has to become independent when he reaches the age of 15.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it got noticed by a publisher soon. That being said I’ve only read like 12 chapters which isn’t a lot, but it was enough for one “volume” of the web novel.

Characters: Shin’s great as a main character, as he uses his memories to excel at all things with his understanding of science. The rest of the cast is great, especially the Magi who is hilariously airheaded while being a wise man.

Overall: This is a great read, but it’s not been translated much yet.

For those who like: Reincarnation Stories, Fantasy, Magic, Comedy, Action.

]]>Daybreak Game Company LLC today announced two winners of its 2015 Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Scholarship — Grace Kim of Aurora, Colo., and Cherylynn Lima of Brentwood, Calif. Now in its eighth year, the G.I.R.L Scholarship was expanded this year to honor students in two categories: Art & Design and Programming & Engineering. Daybreak Games established the scholarship program to encourage college students to pursue careers in the video game industry.

Grace Kim is currently enrolled at Laguna College of Art and Design (Laguna Beach, Calif.), and Cherylynn Lima attends Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Both winners have been awarded a $5,000 scholarship to be applied towards tuition, room and board, and other educational expenses. In addition to the scholarship, both students are participating in a 10-week internship at Daybreak Games’ headquarters in San Diego this summer, where they’re receiving hands-on experience working on the company’s newest zombie survival game, H1Z1.

Daybreak saw an incredible amount of talented applicants this year, with submissions from students at universities throughout the United States. As part of the competition, finalists were asked to submit either two pieces of original concept art inspired by either PlanetSide 2 or the EverQuest franchise or code for an original game feature for one of Daybreak’s games, along with an essay about why they want to work in the video game industry, and how their unique perspective and imagination will contribute to the future of gaming. The submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges and executives from Daybreak Game Company.

“We are thrilled to expand this year’s G.I.R.L. program by honoring two talented students with educational scholarships and paid summer internships,” said Laura Naviaux, Chief Publishing Officer, Daybreak Games. “Both winners truly embraced our G.I.R.L. program goals through their essays, original concept art, and code base for an original game feature. We are proud to have them represent this year’s program and provide them with opportunities in the gaming industry.”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/g-i-r-l-scholarship-winners-announced/feed/0Stronghold Crusader 2 DLC Video Reviewhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/stronghold-crusader-2-dlc/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/stronghold-crusader-2-dlc/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 14:14:40 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27246Billy takes a look at some of the new Stronghold Crusader 2 DLC, including The Princess and The Pig, and The Emperor and The Hermit, in this video review.

This is the video review for two Stronghold Crusader 2 DLCs. The two DLCs being reviewed are The Princess and The Pig, and The Emperor and The Hermit.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is a real-time strategy game that has players building castles and waging wars against opponents in a variety of missions and skirmish matches. Check out our full review for the original game at this link.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/stronghold-crusader-2-dlc/feed/0Capcom SDCC Activities Confirmedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/capcom-sdcc-activities-confirmed/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/capcom-sdcc-activities-confirmed/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 14:05:36 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27250Capcom will be at San Diego Comic-Con this week (Booth #215, Hall A) with plenty of activities in store for fans including signing sessions, panels with special surprises, playable demos of Capcom’s upcoming games lineup, plus cool collectible merchandise available at the Capcom Store.

]]>Capcom will be at San Diego Comic-Con this week (Booth #215, Hall A) with plenty of activities in store for fans including signing sessions, panels with special surprises, playable demos of Capcom’s upcoming games lineup, plus cool collectible merchandise available at the Capcom Store. Playable publicly for the first time at SDCC 2015 will be Resident Evil 0, a newly remastered version of the series’ origin story, and Mega Man Legacy Collection, featuring the 8-bit history of the iconic Blue Bomber. A playable demo of Street Fighter V, the newest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise, will also be available with a roster that features all of the currently announced characters, including the most recently revealed Cammy and Birdie. Other exciting Street Fighter V activities will take place on the tournament stage in the Capcom booth throughout the event.

In addition to these three upcoming titles, fans will also be able to check out some of the most recently released Capcom games like the episodic thriller Resident Evil Revelations 2, hit stylish action game Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition and critically acclaimed action RPG Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without panels! Two panels are planned for the event, where fans can expect some special surprises. Signing sessions for Street Fighter V with franchise executive producer Yoshinori Ono as well as other special guests will be hosted at the booth at various times throughout the show.

Please see below for additional information and full details can be found on the official Capcom-Unity blog at http://capcom-unity.com/.

PANELS
· Street Fighter V
Thursday, July 9 from 11:45AM – 12:45PM in Room 6BCF
Capcom’s Street Fighter experts will share the latest news on Street Fighter V, which will include a special guest appearance from Yoshinori Ono (Executive Producer, Street Fighter franchise). Learn how you can earn big money and everlasting fame by competing in the Capcom Pro Tour culminating in the Capcom Cup Finals later this year. Plus, get a first look at all the must-have Street Fighter licensed goods in store for the rest of the year.

· World of Capcom
Thursday, July 9 from 5:00PM – 6:00PM in Room 7AB
The Capcom team will share the latest updates on all the new and upcoming Capcom games including Street Fighter V, Resident Evil 0 and more, plus sneak peeks at all the latest Capcom merchandise and licensing products coming your way soon. There will also be some exclusive first-looks and reveals just for SDCC.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/capcom-sdcc-activities-confirmed/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: A Demon Bound by Debra Dunbarhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-demon-bound-by-debra-dunbar/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-demon-bound-by-debra-dunbar/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 13:32:21 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27201Michael's back with a really fun book this week for Book Series Wednesday! It's time to delve into madness with A Demon Bound by Debra Dunbar!

This week for Book Series Wednesday I’m covering a book I read recently and enjoyed quite a bit. It’s A Demon Bound by Debra Dunbar!

Plot Synopsis: Samantha Martin is an imp, enjoying an extended vacation from Hel. All she wants to do is drink beer by the pool, play mischievous pranks on the humans, and get her hot neighbor in the sack. It’s a relaxing break from her infernal home as long as she manages to avoid the angels, who won’t hesitate to execute her on sight.

Plot: The plot is quite good, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I won’t get into the plot too much as it’s quite fun, but it made me laugh quite a bit.

Characters: Sam is a riot to see the world through, as she has very, very few compunctions about anything and loves to cause chaos. It’s quite refreshing to have your main character actively try to make roadkill while she speeds down highways. The rest of the cast is quite good as well, Wyatt is great as well.

Overall: This is a great beginning to a great series, you should definitely read it.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Amazing Characters with little to no Morals, Great Plot.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-demon-bound-by-debra-dunbar/feed/0Reading Gets Scary With The Warded Manhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/reading-gets-scary-with-the-warded-man/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/reading-gets-scary-with-the-warded-man/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 14:38:51 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27217Things get a bit frightening this week for Michael as he checks out The Warded Man: Book One of The Demon Cycle and finds a world where humans have surrendered the night to monsters.

I’m back with another Graphic Audio review and this time it’s a brand new book for me! It’s time to enter the forbidding night with The Demon Cycle Book 01: The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett!

Plot Synopsis: Mankind has ceded the night to the corelings, demons that rise up out of the ground each day at dusk, killing and destroying at will until dawn, when the sun banishes them back to the Core. As darkness falls, the world’s few surviving humans hide behind magical wards, praying the magic can see them through another night. As years pass, the distances between each tiny village seem longer and longer. It seems nothing can harm the corelings, or bring humanity back together.

Plot: This is another dark book, something that is emphasized even more with the sound effects, and while I don’t mind the dark plot it may turn others off. That being said, the plot is very, very good and quite the thrilling ride.

Characters: Arlen, Rojer and Leesha are great main characters and their experiences weave an amazing story that culminates into a masterpiece work of prose and plot. The rest of the cast are all great, but Rojer is probably my favorite out of all the characters.

Voicework: The voicework is amazing, and does justice to all the characters including the wandering minstrels and their songs, which makes me hope that Graphic Audio is going to make their own audiobooks of The Kingkiller Chronicle which is a series heavily influenced by music. Like last time the cast of voice actors is just too big to place each person to a single character, but they were all very, very good.

Sound Effects: Like I mentioned above Graphic Audio did an amazing job with this book, especially when it came to the musical characters and their songs and music. I enjoyed that probably most of all as it was incredibly well done.

Overall: It may be a little pricey, but it lives true to Graphic Audio’s motto of a Movie for your Mind. This is well worth the money if you have it, as Graphic Audio is the ideal way of experiencing this book.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/reading-gets-scary-with-the-warded-man/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: Leadership in Gaming Groupshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-leadership-in-gaming-groups/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-leadership-in-gaming-groups/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 13:32:00 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27199Michael's back with a topic that's come up recently for him and thought it'd be a great time to talk about it in this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about Leadership in Gaming Groups!

week on Video Game Tuesday I’m covering a topic I’ve had to personally deal with recently. It’s Leadership in Gaming Groups!

What Is A Gaming Group?: Any gathering of gamers who play together regularly, wether in real life sitting side by side or virtually through an in-game system. This includes things like Guilds, Clans, etc.

Who Should Lead?: Well first off ideally it should be someone who is comfortable with being in charge and making decisions that affect the entire group. It should also be someone everyone trusts and knows.

What Do Leaders Need to Do?: They need to be active in whatever game the group is playing primarily, they can’t just drop off the map because they are bored without getting replacements for them. They also need to be flexible and willing to delegate jobs and be able to communicate well with their group members. They also need to be able to create and enforce the rules by which the group will play.

What about Real Life Emergencies?: Well shit happens, and while it may knock a leader out of commission for a while, a good leader will have back up plans with at least one other active sub leader in the group who can do everything that needs to occur while they are gone.

What Happens When We Have A Bad Leader?: Well you can ask him or her to leave, or if he just up and quit playing the game contact in game customer support if disbanding and reforming is something that isn’t feasible or ideal. Usually customer support will help out with issues like this, and they often have built in systems where players can take over if the leader is absent long enough.

What Happens If A Leader Returns After A Long Absence?: Well they should be prepared to apologize if they just left everyone hanging, they should also not expect to get any in game leadership rights back. Leaders who bully the people who kept the group going to return the leadership aren’t worth keeping in the group.

]]>Today, Ubisoft announced its Comic-Con International: San Diego plans including the return of the Assassin’s Creed Experience parkour obstacle course, hands-on opportunities with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Tom Clancy’s The Division, panels for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Toy Soldiers: War Chest and new gear from Ubi Workshop.

The Assassin’s Creed Experience returns to San Diego Comic-Con for its second year with bigger and more challenging obstacles that will have players parkouring and soaring through Victorian-era London. Course attendees will receive instantly shareable action shots of them tackling two of the course’s obstacles, the overhead glider, new to this year’s course, and the iconic 25-foot Leap of Faith. Additionally, fans who pre-order the game will receive The Rooks Initiation Kit, which includes everything they need to join Jacob and Evie Frye’s gang on their quest to liberate London.

For those looking to further immerse themselves in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Assassin’s Creed is teaming up with Schick Hydro for the third year in a row. At the Schick Hydro Underground, located next to the course, fans can receive a free, customized shave by professional barbers using Schick Hydro 5, the only razor with a specially designed gel reservoir to help #ProtectYourNeck.

Fans still hoping to find a way to Comic-Con International: San Diego can enter to win a trip at AssassinsCreed.com/Rewards, and for those already attending, they can register to skip the line and go right to the front.

Grab your mates and come visit the Assassin’s Creed Experience on the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade at Harbor Drive. The Assassin’s Creed Experience will be open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Thursday, July 9 to Saturday July 11, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 12.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/assassins-creed-experience-leaps-to-san-diego-comic-con/feed/0Legends Of Eisenwald Officially Releasedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/legends-of-eisenwald-officially-released/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/legends-of-eisenwald-officially-released/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 00:59:23 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27228Legends of Eisenwald is now officially released! After spending some time on Steam Early Access.

]]>Legends of Eisenwald is now officially released! After spending some time on Steam Early Access, the old-school RPG is finally complete and ready to welcome more players into its merciless medieval world.

Players who bought Legends of Eisenwald on Early Access will receive The Road to the Iron Forest, a DLC serving as a prequel to the main campaign. This bonus content will be implemented within the next few months.

The heroes in Eisenwald aren’t your typical dragon-slaying sorcerers, but relatable characters guided by a desire for glory, wealth, and even romance. Imagine a world in which medieval superstitions are true, but without the clichés of several fantasy games. Expect divination, alchemy, and a few magical creatures, but no elves or fireballs!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/legends-of-eisenwald-officially-released/feed/0Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser Packs A Nostalgic Punchhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/supercharged-robot-vulkaiser-packs-a-nostalgic-punch/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/supercharged-robot-vulkaiser-packs-a-nostalgic-punch/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2015 13:34:45 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27141Mazinger Z, Voltron and Star Blazers are all likely influences to Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser, a game that puts you in charge of a squad of giant mech robots that combine with others as they gallantly defend the Earth.

Did you ever watch Voltron, Mazinger Z, or similar mecha anime and think, “Man, this would be great as a side-scrolling shoot ’em up?” If you ever thought that, then your childhood dream has come true with Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser. Every visual piece of this Vulkaiser looks like it came from an anime or an early video game adapting an anime, the costumes looking like they jumped straight off the pasty cel-shaded bodies of the Voltron Force. The story is treated to viewers with quick anime-inspired still images for maximum nostalgic value, which is a nice touch given that story is so blindingly not the focus for shoot ’em ups that Stevie Wonder sees it.

As you could most likely tell by the rhetorical question posited above, Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up (from here on called shmups), a type of game where you control a character on screen and dodge a Chris Christie-sized amount of bullets. The Vulkaiser Force mobilizes to stop an alien invasion, the lead character manning the titular robot who fires a simple stream of beams to take down foes, while the other members of the Force pilot separate VulFighters that combine with and power up the robot in question. These modules appear during gameplay in similar fashion to how shot power ups in your average shmup, and selecting the right ones at the right time can make progressing significantly easier.

There are more explosions on screen than aBruce Willis movie.

Each time your Vulkaiser combines with one of the modules, there’s fanfare with an animation that appears which shows the two pilots working together and forming the newly upgraded Vulkaiser. Gameplay-wise, the modules are what most affect how you play, since the Needle typed one will spread additional shots out in a wider angle than just Vulkaiser’s alone, the Missile module will fire rockets that have their own specific travel speed, allowing you to deal damage more efficiently while strafing opposite fast-moving enemies. The Lightning module shoots weak bolts of electricity in an extremely wide arc across the screen while the Drill module doesn’t improve Vulkaiser’s shot at all, it instead forms an exceptionally powerful drill directly in front of the fighter, rewarding you with extremely high damage for sticking close to the target you wish destroyed.

Each module has its benefits, though, considering the Drill makes you nigh invincible against destructible shots- some bullets can be destroyed by your own while others can’t, a fairly common occurrence in shmups, and Vulkaiser is no different. The Missile type is superb against gunships that appear at the lowest or highest point of the screen, since the missiles extend off your fighter vertically before launching at your foe. On top of this each form of Vulkaiser can hold the shot button to perform a charged attack- Vanilla Vulkaiser fires his rocket fists off like he’s Android 16, Missile Vulkaiser fires one large rocket that explodes on impact and has a damaging blast radius. A personal favorite was probably Lightning Vulkaiser’s charge shot, which was a giant laser beam of death that dealt huge damage to most things directly ahead of you, though it does become less optimal as you reach stage 4 and beyond since there will be so many enemy ships on screen at once that a single huge beam becomes a liability over the spread lightning it normally fires.

Dialogue in a shooting game, everyone’s “favorite” part.

Additionally, Vulkaiser can only combine with one of these additional modules at a time, so you have to pick which ability you will find more beneficial for the upcoming challenges. Damage taken while combined is actually dealt to the VulFighter to which you’re attached, and while having a second health gauge would normally be a boon in such a game, care must be taken simply due to the fact that if a VulFighter’s ship explodes it will be unavailable for the remainder of the playthrough. Players also have access to a bomb, like in most other shmups, to clear excess bullets off the screen in the event of projectile inundation. In Vulkaiser, however, your bomb changes properties depending upon which module you have combined, so some may be more for clearing out mooks while another is much stronger against bosses.

Being a side-scrolling shmup, Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser is extremely short, most likely in the hope that players will enjoy partaking of its challenges multiple times rather than a single playthrough. It took, at most, 20-25 minutes to completely clear the game since most stages are only 2-3 minutes in length. This isn’t exactly uncommon for games in the shmup genre, but it can be unsettling to someone who purchased the game on a whim, unfamiliar with what the game has to offer.

Remember to always dodge the dots, the dots will wreck you faster than a bad divorce.

This isn’t without its problems, of course. As it currently stands, outside of using third party software, there’s no included controller compatibility, which definitely seems odd since movements are tied to the arrow keys on the keyboard, of all things. Additionally, the resolution is quite low, seeming to be 800×600 even while full screen, which is a tremendous disappointment since the game has a decent retro aesthetic that seems it would be fit in a 90s arcade- too bad it isn’t drawn in proper size for any computer built after 2001. There are also some issues with the implementation of Steam achievements, as somehow 30% of players have beaten the final boss but only 0.3% have cleared normal or easy modes. Be mindful of this if achievements are something you’re into.

Overall, Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser is an incredibly cheap, incredibly short and fairly entertaining game. If you’re a fan of shmups and don’t have any other options, Vulkaiser can be a decent way for you to spend a lunch break or so since it has four difficulty modes to lend towards replayability. Those looking for an experience to more invest their time will most likely wish to look elsewhere, however, as Vulkaiser carries the shmup torch of being played multiple times before being put down. The anime aesthetic hearkening back to Mazinger Z and Voltron is also icing on the cake.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/supercharged-robot-vulkaiser-packs-a-nostalgic-punch/feed/0Manga Monday: Gokukoku no Brynhildr by Lynn Okamotohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-gokukoku-no-brynhildr-by-lynn-okamoto/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-gokukoku-no-brynhildr-by-lynn-okamoto/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2015 13:32:42 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27175Michael's back with a really dark series to start off with the first Manga Monday of July! It's time to enter the darkness with Gokukoku no Brynhildr by Lynn Okamoto!

Plot Synopsis: The manga revolves around high school boy Ryouta Murakami, who cannot forget his female childhood friend whom he let die in an accident. Feeling that he must fulfill their promise of proving the existence of aliens, he has continuously looked up at the starry sky as a member of the astronomy club. One day, a girl named Neko Kuroha who looks exactly like his childhood friend appears as a transfer student.

Plot: The plot is really freaking dark, and if you can’t stand excessive drama, lots of gore and depressing storyline you shouldn’t read this series. I’ve had to drop it personally after it got way too dark for me.

Characters: Kazumi is my favorite, with pretty much everyone else being alright. I do care for the female main cast, as I’m not a heartless monster, but it didn’t keep me from dropping the series. Ryouta is alright for a male lead, but he’s not that amazing.

Art: The art is good, and it fits the series perfectly.

Overall: If you can stand the plot, it’s good. But even I can’t stand how dark it gets.

For those who like: Dark Plots, Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Decent Cast of Characters, Good Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, especially the Dark Plots.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-gokukoku-no-brynhildr-by-lynn-okamoto/feed/0Fourth of July Gaming!http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fourth-of-july-gaming/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fourth-of-july-gaming/#commentsSun, 05 Jul 2015 17:44:19 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27206This week the gang is out celebrating the Fourth of July with some very appropriate fireworks for their line of work. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fourth-of-july-gaming/feed/0Anime Sunday: Summer Warshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-summer-wars/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-summer-wars/#commentsSun, 05 Jul 2015 13:32:48 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27167Michael's back with a movie for this week's Anime Sunday! It's the perfect time of the year to enjoy Summer Wars!

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a movie! It’s time to enter the eternal battlefield of romance and cyber warfare with Summer Wars!

Plot: Kenji Koiso is a young student at Kuonji High School with a gift in mathematics and a part-time moderator in the massive computer-simulated virtual reality world OZ along with his friend Takashi Sakuma. Invited by fellow Kuonji student Natsuki Shinohara to participate in the 90th birthday of her great-grandmother Sakae Jinnouchi, Kenji travels with her to Sakae’s estate in Ueda.

Plot: The plot of this movie is great, and is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. It may be an Anime movie, but it made me laugh and cry which makes me confident in saying that it’s one of the better one’s you can see. I won’t go into the plot as it’s quite good.

Characters: The character’s in this movie are all wonderfully deep and awesome, although Kazuma is probably my favorite character. Natsuki and the rest of the cast though aren’t bad at all though and I loved the entire cast.

Artwork: Produced by Madhouse this is easily one of the best looking movie’s you’ll watch except for anything made by ufotable.

Music: The music is just as good as the Artwork.

Overall: If you want a great relaxing movie to watch with anyone, regardless of age, you’ll all enjoy it thoroughly.

For those who like: Great Stories, Amazing Artwork, Fantastic Music, Excellent Cast of Characters.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-summer-wars/feed/0Shoujo Saturday: 3D Kanojo by Nanami Maohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-3d-kanojo-by-nanami-mao/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-3d-kanojo-by-nanami-mao/#commentsSat, 04 Jul 2015 13:32:09 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27163Michael's back with another series he read a while back and enjoyed for this week's Shoujo Saturday! It's 3D Kanojo by Nanami Mao!

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series I read a while back. It’s 3D Kanojo by Nanami Mao!

Plot Synopsis: Tsutsui Hikari is an otaku, and he mostly avoids social life. Hikari has only one friend at school, who is also a social misfit, and he is mocked brutally by most of his classmates for being creepy and weird. One day, he ends up having to clean the school pool with Igarashi Iroha, who appears to be pretty much everything he hates in real-life girls. She skips school, has a blunt manner, doesn’t have female friends, and seems the sort to be promiscuous. However, she is friendly to Hikari, and even stands up to the people who make fun of him.

Plot: The plot is cliche’d but well done. I won’t spoil things as the way their relationship develops is pretty good.

Character: Hikari actually annoys me sometimes, because he’s just either being willfully stubborn or being an idiot. Iroha is a much better lead than Hikari and the rest of the cast is pretty good, especially Hikari’s best friend who’s name escapes me at the moment.

Art: The art is great, and feels unique to me although it’s probably not all that unique.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-3d-kanojo-by-nanami-mao/feed/0Mobile Racing with Neon Cityhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/mobile-racing-with-neon-city/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/mobile-racing-with-neon-city/#commentsSat, 04 Jul 2015 13:13:29 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27193Billy is still loving his new smartphone and he's been playing a racing game called Neon City. Should you download it, or just let it race on by?

This week I played Neon City on my smartphone. Like I’ve said before, I’m really starting to get back into mobile gaming with this new phone. It still doesn’t compete with my handhelds, but oftentimes my handheld games are fit for a Time Waster.

Neon City has players racing a futuristic hover car down a never-ending track to rack up points and get highscores. It’s a simple enough concept that many smartphone games use. Players will have to dodge walls and other obstacles to keep going and get more points. This can either be done by moving left or right, or jumping. There are two different jump heights that can be used, which gives players better control of their vehicles.

“When the lights go down in the city”

Neon City places the player’s view behind their vehicle. This is closer to modern racing games than the side view that many mobile games use. While traveling down the endless track, players can pick up a variety of different powerups. There are both good and bad powerups.

The bad power ups will make the game more difficult for the player. A couple examples of these include one that reverses the controls. Another causes the vehicle to speed up, which makes it harder to dodge obstacles that are found on the track.

The good powerups are mostly made of small point increases. There’s one that will warp players to a new area that is filled with lines of points that can be picked up. These are fairly rare and give players a huge boost in score. Another really handy powerup is the hammer. The hammer makes it so that the player’s hover car will break through a wall instead of crash. It’s basically an extra life and multiple can be held at one time.

There’s nothing much in the way of multiplayer in Neon City. There is the ability to compare highscores online, but that’s it. I could’ve done with racing against ghosts from other players at least. It seems like a missed opportunity in this day and age to limit a smartphone game to only keeping track of highscores as its sole aspect of multiplayer.

When it comes to ads, Neon City isn’t too bad. The ads never show up during gameplay, which is wonderful. However, they do always popup on the main menu and sometimes between runs. It’s not horrible and I’m willing to overlook it since the game doesn’t have any freemium options.

“The target area is only two meters wide.”

The overall look of Neon City is nice. The game is filled with bright blue neon colors with a dark black that helps ad contrast. It really does help the blue stick out. Unfortunately, there’s no choice to change the colors in the game. Like I said, the only colors are black and neon blue (minus a color change in one special area). How hard would it have been to allow players to change the neon blue to another color? Really wish this would’ve been implemented as it could give the game a personal flair for each player. The game is also 3D, which is welcome on mobile devices.

The audio in Neon City isn’t bad. It’s got a nice techno beat that plays during the main menu and races. Fits well with the whole neon shtick and all that. I wish there was a couple more songs to choose from, just for the added variety.

Overall, Neon City isn’t a bad way to waste time, but it’s not necessarily the best either. When it comes to endless runners, the Play Store is flooded with them. There are better options out there. However, it’s a free game with minimal ads and no in-app purchases. This combined with its neat visual style makes it a refreshing break from some of the more popular titles in this genre, but it won’t replace any of them either. It’s a so-so game that probably won’t be sitting on my smartphone for very long.

2014 was the year that Ubisoft told us female characters are too hard to animate and E3 was overwhelmed with stubbly white guy syndrome. Fortunately, 2015 saw a shift in attitudes, which was a breath of fresh air, after the horrors of gamergate. One thing I took away from E3, this year, was the wealth of female protagonists. Let me remind you, dear play chums.

Faith from Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst

Ethnic diversity gets a boost with Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst

It’s great to see Faith return in this prequel to the original Mirror’s Edge, which showed a lot of promise, alongside its flaws. She’s one of the coolest looking characters and this game focuses on her martial abilities. She’s not just a gun-toting badass with boobs. In fact, Faith doesn’t use guns, which is refreshing in itself.

Lara Croft from Rise of the Tomb Raider

Now, for the original badass with boobs, Lara Croft. She’s back and she’s actually er…raiding tombs. It’ been a while. The Lara reboot gives her a story and a personality, rather than just the sizeable assets of the 90s.

Joule from Re-Core

Joule the gearpunk engineer and her robot dog

The trailer for this game feels like the opening of Star Wars, as Threepio and R2 cross the desert, only to be set upon by Jawas. This time, we’ve got a gearpunk girl and her robot dog.

Joule is kitted out in buckled up, sturdy boots, a leather waistcoat, helmet, greaves and goggles. She’s the most shapely of this year’s characters, but the team still gets extra points for neglecting the obligatory cleavage shot. Instead, we’re shown that she can handle a gun and has some tech skills.

Mystery girl from NeiR 2

From the people behind Bayonetta, it’s no surprise that this character has more of an anime feel to her styling. She’s definitely more gothic lolita – black Baroque dress, thigh high boots and a sword. She’s also a doe-eyed, blonde ingenue. However, in this short teaser, she did stand on her own terms. She wasn’t a sexy side-kick or love interest for a man, which is all good.

Woman from Adr1ft

This indie title is basically Gravity the game. You play a woman who is fighting for survival on the wreckage of her space station. It’s 2037, you’re floating high above earth, with only voice recordings and the ship’s systems for company.

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn eschews the fur bikini

It’s nice to see the Killzone team hit us with something new. Aloy is a low tech hunter, with complex braids in her hair, worthy of an episode of Vikings. Thankfully, there’s isn’t a fur bikini in sight. She’s in practical trousers, boots and lots of layers. The trailer shows that Aloy has a certain level of empathy with the machines she kills. Add the mystical, tribal feel to the excerpt and it’s looking like an interesting game with an intriguing character.

Rae from Beyond Eyes

Beyond Eyes explores the world as a blind girl

This game features a little girl who is blind. Using touch, smell and sound, you guide Rae, as she braves the outside world to find her cat. Beautiful, watercolour style, plus diversity equals win.

Evie Frye from Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

It looks like Ubisoft has recognised the error of its ways and responded with the first female lead for the Assassin’s series. Okay, she has to share the limelight with her twin brother, but I’m going to take what I can get.

What’s to love about Evie? She cuts a dash in a velvet hood and she’s a sword in a cane wielding assassin, in London 1868. Sign me up.

Emily Kaldwin from Dishonored 2

Cool androgynous styling for Emily in Dishonored 2

In this sequel to the steampunk stealth-em-up, you can play as Emily, the girl you rescued from the first game. Only this time, she’s doing the rescuing and she’s rescuing a kingdom because it’s rightfully hers. I love her androgynous look and frock coat, plus she’s got supernatural assassin powers. You can also play as Corvo, but hats off to Bethesda, who chose to focus on Emily in their trailer.

Senua from Hellblade

Senua explores psychosis in Hellblade

Senua is no sex goddess. She’s a raw, wild, muck under her fingernails, Celtic goddess. The game sees her struggle with mental illness, as she descends into hell. A compelling and layered female character? This keeps getting better.

Alongside these characters, traditionally male gaming strongholds, such as Gears of War, FIFA and Tom Clancy’s The Division all added women to their character line-up. It’s a small and obvious step that could have happened sooner, but at least it’s happening. In addition, characters such as Senua, Rae and Faith add to the diversity of gaming protagonists.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/female-game-characters-shine-at-e3-2015/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Final Fantasy Adventurehttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-final-fantasy-adventure/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-final-fantasy-adventure/#commentsFri, 03 Jul 2015 13:32:45 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27151Michael's back with a truly retro game for this week's Retro Game Friday. It's time to set off with Final Fantasy Adventure!

This week on Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I used to play way back when I was a kid. It’s Final Fantasy Adventure!

Plot Synopsis: The Hero (named by the player), is a prisoner of the Dark Lord. One day, the Hero’s friend informs him of the Dark Lord’s goals and urges him to seek a Knight named Bogard. As the Hero escapes imprisonment, he learns the Dark Lord is seeking a key to the Mana Sanctuary in order to control the Mana Tree, an energy source which sustains life. The Hero is befriended by the Heroine (named by the player) who is also seeking Bogard.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, nothing super spectacular, but it did set off the Mana series. Too bad it’s been reduced to cash grabs by Square in recent years for mobile gaming. I really enjoyed the plot as a kid and looking back it’s definitely one of the better games I played as a kid.

Gameplay: It played a lot like the 2D Zelda games, although it had a leveling system and the ability to kill NPCs. Very few games allow you to do so now with impunity.

Art: It’s one of those old sprite games and so it holds up pretty well. It’s nothing super fancy but holds up to the test of time very well.

Music: I don’t remember it at all, this is one of the very first games I ever played on my original Gameboy back in the day.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-final-fantasy-adventure/feed/0Wild Podcasting With The Witcher 3http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/gin-lounge/wild-podcasting-with-the-witcher-3/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/gin-lounge/wild-podcasting-with-the-witcher-3/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 14:23:27 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27171The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best role-playing games to come out in years, and this is coming from people who were lukewarm about the first two games. Come and see why The Witcher 3 is worth your time this week in The GiN Lounge.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt seems to have everything going for it. Not only does it offer a deeply engaging story based on a rich history of novels, but it hits all the normal videogame high points like stellar graphics for both consoles and the PC, intense combat, a unique character building system and a huge Easter-egg-laden open world (a true one this time around) to explore for hours and hours and hours on end.

What magical formula could developer CD Projekt RED use to capture hours and hours from gamers with The Witcher 3? GiN Loungers Todd Hargosh and Billy White join host John Breeden to try to find out this week in the lounge.

Plot Synopsis: After rescuing Royce and Mei from the Royal Prince faction, Camille and Achille have finally admitted their love to one another. Meanwhile Royce and Raiga have formed a uneasy friendship after confronting Royce’s Uncle, Raiga’s Father. The first semester has ended and now it’s time for Summer Vacation. What’ll happen to this Magic Otaku with her burgeoning romance for her childhood friend over Summer Vacation?

Plot: The plot’s quite good as the intrigue is starting to really ramp up, but I won’t spoil anything more as it’s very good.

Characters: We get to see more of the Queen of Spades and I’m really liking how crafty Royce and Achille have become.

Overall: An even better arc after the already amazing second arc. If you aren’t reading this series yet, you should be.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-otomege-burikko-academy-chapter-summer-vacation-by-sakura-ageha/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: The Hidden City by David Eddingshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-hidden-city-by-david-eddings/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-hidden-city-by-david-eddings/#commentsWed, 01 Jul 2015 13:32:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27012Michael's back with the thrilling conclusion to the Sparhawk saga and The Tamuli Trilogy for this week's Book Series Wednesday! It's time to enter The Hidden City by David Eddings! Major spoilers for previous books inside!

This week for Book Series Wednesday I’m covering the last entry in the Sparhawk series and The Tamuli Trilogy. It’s The Hidden City by David Eddings!

Plot Synopsis: Following The Shining Ones, the enemies have been identified, and the cards are dealt. Queen Ehlana, kidnapped by the forces of Cyrgon, is held captive against Sparhawk’s delivering of Bhelliom. The Troll Gods, freed in the climax of The Shining Ones, along with Sparhawk and the Younger Gods set out to stop Cyrgon as a greater threat looms.

Plot: The plot is amazing and while I wished there were more content in the Epilogue it was still a great series. Easily the best of the entire saga.

Characters: Bhlokw is easily my favorite new character in this book although Bhelliom is really really close. The rest of the cast is great as usual, and I don’t need to mention anything about my favorite three characters of Talen, Ulath and Sparhawk as they quite good as usual.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-hidden-city-by-david-eddings/feed/0Getting Swept Away By Rogue Islandhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/getting-swept-away-by-rogue-island/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/getting-swept-away-by-rogue-island/#commentsWed, 01 Jul 2015 13:29:43 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27155This week Michael falls into a brand new audio book series as he listens to Rogue Island, Book 01 of the Liam Mulligan Series. Author Bruce DeSilva really turns up the heat.

I’m back with another Audible Studios series, this time I’m reviewing a Mystery and Thriller series! It’s Rogue Island, Book 01 of the Liam Mulligan series by Bruce DeSilva!

Plot Synopsis: Liam Mulligan is as old school as a newspaper man gets. His beat is Providence, Rhode Island, and he knows every street and alley. He knows the priests and prostitutes, the cops and street thugs. He knows the mobsters and politicians – who are pretty much one and the same. Someone is systematically burning down the neighborhood Mulligan grew up in, people he knows and loves are perishing in the flames, and the public is on the verge of panic. With the police looking for answers in all the wrong places, and with the whole city of Providence on his back, Mulligan must find the hand that strikes the match.

Rogue Island, Book 01 of the Liam Mulligan Series

Plot: The plot is great for such a short book, for me at least. It’s a classic Whodunit and I loved every minute of the book. That being said there are some sex scenes in the book, but they aren’t too bad. Another possible turn off is the constant swearing, but it’s really not all that bad.

Characters: Mulligan is a great lead character, and I love the entire cast. Whoosh is probably my favorite, if only because he’s an incorrigible mobster who still happens to be affably corrupt.

Voicework: The reader for Rogue Island is Jeff Woodman and he does a great job, I particularly loved the New Englander accents he gave the characters, as it definitely fits this book to the tee. I have yet another Voice Actor I need to keep my eyes on in the future.

Overall: This is a great listen, and is comfortably short for those who don’t like long books.

For those who like: Mysteries, Thrillers, A Hilarious Main Character, Great Cast of Characters, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Voicework.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/getting-swept-away-by-rogue-island/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: How to Report Other Players Properlyhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-how-to-report-other-players-properly/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-how-to-report-other-players-properly/#commentsTue, 30 Jun 2015 13:32:15 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27004Michael's back with another simple guide for those new to MMOs. It's all about How to Report Other Players Properly!

This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m covering a topic that will help make your experience in MMOs much better if you ever encounter cheating, are harassed or even just have a bug.

Why am I writing this?: Well just last night (as of the time I’m writing this) me and a friend in my Final Fantasy 14: ARR free company were sexually harassed by another player. I talked with the person in question’s free company leader and was told to F&#@ off because being sexually harassed in a video game isn’t the same thing as being harassed out of the game. Needless to say I included the leader in my report to the Game Masters because such behavior and attitude is unacceptable to me.

What is Reportable?: Cheating through any means, Being harassed in any way by another player and even just finding a bug in the game.

Why Should You Report?: Because all of the above is unacceptable in a game that is played online with other people, in the case of a bug it helps improve the game, and the other two are improving the gameplay for you and countless others as well. Being harassed by another player isn’t fun.

What Should You Type in your Report?: Include as many of the following as possible. The time the event occurred, the player’s name and server (if applicable), Exactly what occurred (be honest as they can check it and if you lie you’ll be punished instead). If it’s a bug you are reporting try and include the exact steps of what you did prior to the bug happening.

What Happens Afterwards?: Usually you’ll be contacted by a customer support rep, sometimes called Game Masters, who will than confirm and ask any further questions if they need it. This may take anywhere from a few minutes after you submit your report to several hours or even days if it’s incredibly busy. You won’t know exactly what happened, but the gossip from players will usually get around.

But They Don’t Care because X occurs all the time: Whenever you hear this complaint ignore it, and if you tell the player who’s harassing you to shape up or you’ll report them you may hear this. It’s a lie, because they do care and need you to help make the game better free from assholes, cheaters and bugs. I heard this excuse from the leader in my situation last night and I could laugh in his face because I know that what he and his friend had done was unacceptable and they’d be punished.

Can I punish the players in question?: In a game like World of Warcraft if the person is on a different faction you can kill them out in the world if you are on a PvP server, but generally you can’t punish them personally. However know that situations like mine are bannable offenses and you’ll get the last laugh.

One of my favorite video game genres is survival horror. Not many games these days are the same as back when the genre first started. They used darkness and music and sound effects with low tones to set the mood. Slender Man Origins 3 by Bigzur does just that to great effect. The entire experience is perfectly creepy.

Nothing screams horror game like a frequent set of journal entries.

Slender Man Origins 3 is about a school girl whose friends go missing from the dormitories. Then one night the main character is trapped inside the school. A ghost appears to help her escape the area. She has to collect seven keys to escape. If she wants to help the ghost, she’ll have to find a golden box to release her soul. The player walks around an area of the school finding these keys, but be careful because Slender Man could be around any corner. Don’t get too close or its game over. Also there are hostile ghosts that will pop out of nowhere and scare you.

The controls are simple, to walk you slide the left side of the screen up, and to look around you touch the right side of the screen. On the upper left of the screen is a sanity level. The sanity level will gradually decrease as you walk around or significantly drop from a ghost or Slender Man encounter. To increase the character’s sanity level you have to find med kits and medicine distributed throughout the level. To grab keys just tap on the screen where the key is. On the upper right hand side of the screen the display shows how many keys you have, if you’ve acquired the golden box, as well as the pause button.

At least it wasn’t the homicidal demon spawn around the corner… this time.

The sound is great. To get the full effect, I recommend headphones. From the isolated sound of the character walking to the low atmospheric noise of the school. Each works wonders to draw in the player until they least expect the jolting scary scene.

Slender Man Origins 3 is a great game for people who like getting scared or who like horror games. The game has a good starting story but I would like a little more depth to the back-story and to actually see the main character find her missing friends. Slender Man Origins 3 by Bigzur gets a 4.5 out of 5.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/app-review-slender-man-origins-3-is-mobile-macabre/feed/0Manga Monday: Hajime no Ippo by George Morikawahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-hajime-no-ippo-by-george-morikawa/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-hajime-no-ippo-by-george-morikawa/#commentsMon, 29 Jun 2015 13:32:38 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27000Michael's back with one of the longest running series for this week's Manga Monday. It's time to hit back with Hajime no Ippo by George Morikawa!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series that has run for an incredibly long time. It’s Hajime no Ippo by George Morikawa!

Plot Synopsis: Ippo Makunouchi was an extremely shy high school student who never had the time to make friends because he was always busy helping his mother run their family fishing charter business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies led by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. One day, these bullies gave him a rather serious beating. A middle-weightprofessional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym (鴨川ボクシングジムKamogawa Bokushingu Jimu), owned by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag.

Plot: The plot is pretty standard, but if the fact that the series has been running weekly since 1989 and is still being published don’t clue you in that this is a good series you need to go back to school.

Characters: Ippo’s a pretty nice kid, and is a great main character. He’s my favorite, because he reminds me of myself when I was younger. The rest of the extremely large cast is great as well.

Art: It’s gotten much better over the years, but it’s easily one of the better series in terms of Artwork even in the beginning.

Overall: This is a huge series, even longer than One Piece with over 1,000 chapters.

For those who like: Sports, Boxing, Long Running Series, Action, Great Cast of Characters, Amazing Plot.

When I reviewed Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel for the Xbox 360, I stated that, although the game was well-made, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like on next-gen consoles.

It didn’t take long for 2K and Gearbox Software to answer that question with the release of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. More than a mere repackaging with graphical improvements, The Handsome collection features Borderlands 2, The Pre-sequel and all of the downloadable content for both games on a single disk.

We need a complex plan like… shoot it till it dies.

Borderlands’ frenetic gun play is on display in all its glory once again in The Handsome Collection, with a massive boost to the game’s frame rate and overall polish. The added fluidity delivers an immediate upgrade to the both games’ responsiveness. Aiming has a crisp snap to it that was missing in the previous generation’s versions, and the cell-shaded artwork pops off the screen even more intensely than before.

Those who played Borderlands 2 and The Pre Sequel on the last-gen consoles won’t find anything overwhelmingly new here, but the sheer amount of content makes the game a must-buy for fans who missed either the last time around. And even if you did play both, the plethora of content and near infinite replay value leave plenty of incentive to revisit the Borderlands.

Ah Claptrap, the one robot you want to tell to shut himself constantly.

The only real issue The Handsome Collection faces comes from the sizeable chunk of hard drive space it requires and the install time. It’s easy to forget that it’s not one, but two separate games being featured on one Blu-ray disc, plus all of their respective DLC. Fortunately for impatient gamers who absolutely must have instant gratification (read: me), once one of the games install, you’re free to play it while the other one makes its way onto your system’s hard drive.

Quick kill it with fire! Or bullets, bullets work too.

Size and time aside, each game still stands as a great example of fast-paced, loot-filled extravagance. As I wrote in my original review of the 360 version, the Pre-Sequel still suffers from the fact that it sits in shadow of the original game and Borderlands 2. Whereas the first Borderlands was a revelation, pioneering the role-playing-shooter combo genre, and the sequel upped the ante, there just wasn’t enough innovation for the Pre-Sequel to stand as a gaming marvel.

It became a victim of the franchise’s success, but that’s not to say it’s a bad game. It’s just as good as its predecessors, and gamers will be hard pressed to find a better experience than romping around Pandora and Elpis with a few friends.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/borderlands-the-handsome-collection-offers-pretty-package/feed/0Life is Strange Episode 3 Final Let’s Playhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/life-is-strange-episode-3-final-lets-play/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/life-is-strange-episode-3-final-lets-play/#commentsMon, 29 Jun 2015 04:42:17 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27125Chella lets Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory come to a thrilling conclusion in the final part of her LiS Let's Play Episode 3 series. Who will live? Who will die? Who will make it to Episode 4?

It’s been a crazy ride as we followed Chella through her Let’s Play of Life is Strange Episode 3. Chaos Theory lived up to its name, as you will see in the final episode. Is everyone ready for Episode 4?

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/metroid-prime-federation-force/feed/0Anime Sunday: Most Anticipated Summer 2015 Animehttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-most-anticipated-summer-2015-anime/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-most-anticipated-summer-2015-anime/#commentsSun, 28 Jun 2015 13:32:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26992Michael's back with a look at the upcoming season of Anime for this week's Anime Sunday. It's his Most Anticipated Summer 2015 Anime!

This week for Anime Sunday I’m talking about my most anticipated Anime in the upcoming season! It’s the Most Anticipated Summer 2015 Anime!

Gate – Thus the JSDF Fought There: I really want to read the original novel series that this is based off of, and I’m hoping that this series is amazing enough to make someone license the novel series. “Cough” Yenpress “Cough”. I’m also praying that they don’t diminish the amount of violence, because that’s what makes this series amazing.

Rokka no Yuusha: I’ve been meaning to get around to reading this series, as the anime is an adaptation of a Light Novel series. Maybe this will convince me to read it finally.

Durarara x2!! Ten: The second of three split cour in the second season of Durarara I’m looking forward to watching it immensely as I can’t get enough of this series.

Overlord: Anyone who has been reading my Thursday column knows I’m a huge fan of the Light Novel series that this is an adaptation of, and I’m hoping that it isn’t bad. It’s produced by Madhouse so I’m really hopeful.

Dragon Ball Chou: Yea my inner 7 year old is just jumping for joy at a new Dragon Ball series that’s actually written by Akira Toriyama instead of that crap that was Dragon Ball GT. I’ll probably watch the first episode and than just marathon the series once it’s over.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-most-anticipated-summer-2015-anime/feed/0Swinging Away in Spider Sqaurehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/spider-square-smartphone-mobile-video-games/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/spider-square-smartphone-mobile-video-games/#commentsSat, 27 Jun 2015 13:37:01 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27086This week Billy is continuing his mobile game playing on his new smartphone with Spider Square. Should it be on your smartphone as well?

This week I had planned to return to my computer for a Time Waster, but instead I found it too hard to pull myself away from my new phone. I’m really enjoying having something like this to play on in my spare minutes and I’ve been checking out quite a few games. This week one of the games I looked at was Spider Square.

Spider Square is a simple game that has players swinging through an obstacle course as a square. I have no idea why it’s a square and why it’s swinging, but that doesn’t really matter in such a simple game.

Why can’t I catch you!

To swing, players simply need to tap the screen and the square will launch a line above it to hold on to the ceiling with. Players have no control over where the line is thrown, which is a bit of a disappointment. It would’ve given players more control of their character to let them choose where the line was sent and I’ve played other games that do this and it works really well.

The main goal of Spider Square is to collect jewels that will allow players to unlock additional characters for use in the game. These are really just skin changes and don’t change the gameplay at all. Jewels can also be used to buy additional lives after dying. It gets more expensive to buy a life the more a player dies during a single run.

One of the best parts of Spider Square is its multiplayer. The game uses a ghost system that has players competing against each other with their recorded runs, rather than at the same time. I’ve always liked this type of multiplayer for mobile games because it leaves it up to each of the players to decide when they want to take on the challenge. It’s a lot better than trying to get two people on their smartphones to play the game at the same time.

I must have this jewel!

One thing I noted when playing Spider Square is that there was a real lack of ads. The game doesn’t hit players with many, but there are optional ads that players can watch to unlock more jewels. These jewels can also be bought with real money, but that’s just not for me.

The graphics in Spider Square are really simple, but also clear. It’s easy to tell what’s dangerous and what isn’t in the game, which is vital when swinging through the air at fast speeds.

The audio in the game is a bit lackluster. The music is just there and the sound effects are alright. This is basically what I’ve come to expect from mobile games, but I’m always a little disappointed when it’s what I get. I guess it’s a good thing I keep my phone muted most of th time.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Spider Square. It’s not the best game out there, but it’s entertaining enough. The multiplayer is the big draw for me and it guarantees that its an app that will stay on my phone for some time to come. The graphics and audio are simple, which is about normal for these types of games.

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series that I really enjoyed, even if it was a bit odd. It’s Mirai Nikki, or Future Diary in English, by Sakae Esuno!

Plot Synopsis: Yukiteru “Yuki” Amano is a loner who spends most of his time writing a diary on his cell phone or talking with his imaginary friends Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space; and Murmur, Deus’s servant. One day, Deus gives Yuki a special diary, mentioning something about a game. Strangely, Yuki’s new diary has entries in it spanning the next 90 days—entries about the future that come unnervingly true.

Plot: The plot of this series is is pretty great, although you may wish to not read it if you have a delicate stomach. I won’t ruin the surprises, but the series is quite good.

Characters: Yuno is probably my favorite character, because she’s such a bright and happy character and is a great foil to Yuki who’s a bit of a downer. The rest of the cast is quite good though.

Art: The art is amazingly detailed for a romance series, but it fits the series to a T.

Overall: If you want one of the best Romance series this is easily one of them.

For those who like: Romance, Action, Drama, Psychological Thrillers, Twists.

]]>Leading digital entertainment company Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. is proud to announce Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden for the Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL handheld system. The game will be available at game retailers and the Nintendo eShop across the Americas starting October 20, 2015.

Developed by famed fighting game designers at Arc System Works, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden brings high energy 1-on-1 2D fighting action to fans around the world. With more than 20 playable characters and 100 support characters, fans will be able to create their dream matchups and come to blows with friends through local multiplayer.

“The Dragon Ball Z franchise continues to delight gamers around the world, most recently with this year’s release of Dragon Ball Xenoverse,” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. “Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden lets players take Dragon Ball on the road while delivering a tight and engrossing fighting game experience developed by one of the most respected 2D fighting game developers in Japan.”

Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden will be available at video game retailers and the Nintendo eShop throughout North America and Latin America starting on October 20, 2015 and in Brazil on October 23, 2015 exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL handheld systems.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dbz-extreme-butoden-comes-to-nintendo-handhelds/feed/0Picking The Top Five Games of 2015 So Farhttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/picking-the-top-five-games-of-2015-so-far/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/picking-the-top-five-games-of-2015-so-far/#commentsFri, 26 Jun 2015 14:06:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27095With the year almost half over, Todd picks the top five games that have tickled his fancy so far. Will these powerhouses be able to hold onto their slots through the end of the year, or will some of the games announced at E3 arrive to usurp them?

With all the announcements made during E3 last week, I ended up with a mixed state of emotions. We had the great, especially for Xbox One owners such as myself thanks to backwards compatibility and PC mod support, as well as the unveiling and launch dates for Fallout 4. Then there were the bad moments such as the Shenmue 3 e-begging, oh I’m sorry, I meant Kickstarter campaign. I’m sorry if you all don’t agree with what I am saying here, but for Sony to announce a Kickstarter during their press conference, it just leaves a bad feeling of a potential trend that might harm this industry.

And for those of you who don’t believe me, look up Project Cars 2.

I could go on and on about how I felt about that, and how I feel that Yu Suzuki, who admittedly was one of the best developers of the mid to late 90s, might have just won my award for Sellout of the Year but you can just hear my rant during the E3 GiN Lounge episode for that. It’s time for me to move on, and with the end of the first half of the year, I wanted to give my opinions of the best games that I played this year. Again, I must mention these are the games that I played, so if someone you played is not on the list, save the hate mail for someone who did play it.

Before I start with the list I did want to add an honorable mention, which I am going to give to Elite: Dangerous. I’ve always been a fan of space exploration and trading games, especially Wing Commander: Privateer. However don’t even get me started on how bad Privateer 2 was, and it still made me mad that Privateer 3 was cancelled (thanks so much for that, EA!).

But I know the series was originally inspired by Elite on the BBC Micro and ZX Spectrum (and the C64 in the US,) however I never played it. I’m glad that Frontier Development released Dangerous for a whole new generation of explorers, and now with it available for Xbox One via their name Game Preview service, I have spent the most time since E3 exploring a galaxy of 400 billion star systems. But I’m sure many of you are asking me why I am giving it an honorable mention instead of a Top 5 title? Simple. As I said earlier, the Xbox One version is in preview mode and is currently a work in progress. There are a lot of bugs that need to be resolved, the worst for me being the ##MINORFACTION listing in the bulletin board that makes these missions non-selectable. I hope that Frontier fixes this soon because if they do, the way things are going so far, it might end up being in my Top 5 by the end of the year.

And yes, playing The Blue Danube during docking sequences is a nice touch.

And now, for the Top 5…

#5 – SID MEIER’S STARSHIPS (2K – PC, played via Steam)

When Beyond Earth came out, I found it was a decent total conversion of Civilization V, and I was curious to see how they would expand on the BE universe. What we got here is an enjoyable budget tactical strategy game featuring the eight Beyond Earth leaders expanding beyond their new home in a quest to conquer the galaxy. Fleet combat combined with simple resource management and games that can be finished quickly make for an enjoyable experience. I’m hoping they can expand on the universe even more in the months to come.

4. WOLFENSTEIN: THE OLD BLOOD (Bethesda – Multiplatform, played on Xbox One)

As if Wolfenstein: The New Order wasn’t a great game to begin with, we are treated with a standalone expansion that takes the game back to its roots. In fact, we are brought back to where the series began, escaping from Castle Wolfenstein after being captured, but ends up in a surprise twist that takes the Wolfenstein series to a whole new direction. And now, both New Order and The Old Blood are available as a combo pack for a low price. I strongly suggest picking it up.

3. MORTAL KOMBAT X (WB Games – Multiplatform, played on Xbox One)

After the excellent Mortal Kombat reboot back in 2011, I didn’t think they could be able to recreate success twice, especially when you consider that MKX can be considered a retelling of Mortal Kombat 4, which is where I felt the series started to go downhill. Thankfully that is not the case. Even with the controversy involving “easy fatalities” and removing pit fatalities, the return of brutalities and the most gruesome, yet equally innovative fatalities ever seen in an MK game more than make up for it. And yes, Jason Voorhees makes for one hell of a Kombatant!

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re all thinking. “What is Todd doing playing an MMO? I thought he hated MMOs?” Yes, this is an MMO, but no, it is an MMO that I actually enjoy. For starters, they removed the monthly paywall, making the game more accessible to everyone. Secondly, this game feels less like an MMO and more like the Elder Scrolls games that I know and love. In fact, this might be the most fun I have had with an MMO style game since Phantasy Star Online on the original Xbox. And thankfully, all the login issues that occurred at launch seem to be a thing of the past because logging in is much faster, and now is the perfect time to jump into Tamriel.

Comparisons to Skyrim aside, no other game has shown so much on such a small budget like what CD Projekt Red did with their open world masterpiece. I admit I never played the first Witcher (due to PC system requirements issues) and only touched the surface of Witcher 2, but CDPR was smart enough to make Witcher 3 accessible to everyone, newbies and veterans alike and brought a very inviting world to explore. Even after nearly 60 hours of gameplay in, I feel like I just got to the heart of the story (I just arrived in Skellige.) That just shows much deep the Witcher 3 experience is. I still feel it’s too different from Skyrim to directly compare them, but it is equally good. In fact I think the only game that might beat out Witcher 3 for GOTY voting might be Fallout 4.

But that will have to wait until the end of the year. So far, we’re off to a good start. I’m sure at least one of these games will stay on the list. And maybe Elite: Dangerous might get on there as well.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/picking-the-top-five-games-of-2015-so-far/feed/0Trailer: Mobile Game Targets Type 2 Diabeteshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-mobile-game-targets-type-2-diabetes/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-mobile-game-targets-type-2-diabetes/#commentsFri, 26 Jun 2015 14:05:17 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27110A game developed by students takes on Type 2 diabetes in the form of Coco's Cove which helps people understand the highs and lows of the illness.

]]>Just three years ago, the American Diabetes Association estimated total cost of diagnosed Diabetes in the U.S. in 2012 was $245 billion. That figure is 40% higher than it was in 2007. Diabetes impacts millions of Americans and now there is another tool to help understand the disease.

Game Design students at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois recently designed and released a mobile game to show the effects of blood sugar imbalances in those with type 2 diabetes.

The game, called Coco’s Cove, takes the player through an entertaining, multi-level puzzle game with actions in the game related to the highs and lows experienced by those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This subtle mechanic changes how the player moves through the level in a light-hearted, amusing way.

“We are excited to continue our innovative research into games for improving health,” said Dr. Monica McGill, Associate Professor and Game Design Lead. “Games are a powerful medium, and Coco’s Cove is another tool created to help the nearly 30 million Americans who live with type 2 diabetes every day.”

Using games for improving the health of Americans presents a unique way of educating people and encouraging changes in behavior.

“In games like this, it is important to realize that fun must always be present. No one wants to play a preachy game,” said McGill. “We designed Coco’s Cove to be fun for anyone, whether or not they have Diabetes or Prediabetes.”

The following students were involved in creating Coco’s Cove.

Bobbi Schultz Pekin, IL

John Medwick St. Charles, IL

Robert Miller Peoria, IL

Heath Moore Brimfield, IL

Caleb Bill Roanoke, IL

Eric Arbizanni Bollingbrook, IL

Gregor Armstrong Polo, IL

Bradley University recently was ranked 13th in Game Design by the Princeton Review.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-mobile-game-targets-type-2-diabetes/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Yoshi’s Storyhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-yoshis-story/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-yoshis-story/#commentsFri, 26 Jun 2015 13:32:36 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27020Michael's back with one of the first games he ever played on his N64 back in the day for this week's Retro Game Friday! It's Yoshi's Story!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a rather unknown Nintendo game from my childhood. It’s Yoshi’s Story!

Plot Synopsis: Living together in harmony at Yoshi’s Island, the Yoshis are able to maintain a perpetual state of joy through the fruit-bearing Super Happy Tree. However, Baby Bowser becomes envious of this happiness and casts a spell to transform the entire island into a pop-up storybook. In addition he also steals the Super Happy Tree, further weakening the Yoshis and making them fall to gloom.

While successful with his wicked deed, six eggs were yet able to survive the trial and hatch. Confused about the dismal state of their world, the baby Yoshis knew that something was amiss. And so, deciding to fight the gloom with cheer, they set out to retrieve the Super Happy Tree and restore happiness to the island.

Plot: Wow looking back at this I can’t believe I ever enjoyed such a crap story. Guess it proves that being a childhood favorite doesn’t mean it’s good.

Gameplay: It was fun, but nothing too difficult even for a 7 year old kid. I did like it at the time, but if I played it now I’d doubtless be bored to tears.

Music: Classic Nintendo fare, mixing Mario with storybook themes.

Art: Decent, but it looks like crap now.

Overall: This is an easily forgettable game that you shouldn’t play unless you are really bored.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-yoshis-story/feed/0Dragon Quest VI Now Available On iOShttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragon-quest-vi-now-available-on-ios/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragon-quest-vi-now-available-on-ios/#commentsThu, 25 Jun 2015 22:05:46 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27107Square Enix today announced that the classic role-playing game, Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation, is now available on compatible iOS and Android devices. Players will set out on an epic adventure spanning two parallel worlds, where they must join forces with a diverse group of characters in order to save the world from darkness. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation is the final chapter of the Zenithian trilogy, concluding in an expansive quest of a young Hero who sets out to learn the truth about his world and the mysterious phantom realm that lies beneath. Journeying across a vast … Continue reading Dragon Quest VI Now Available On iOS→

]]>Square Enix today announced that the classic role-playing game, Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation, is now available on compatible iOS and Android devices. Players will set out on an epic adventure spanning two parallel worlds, where they must join forces with a diverse group of characters in order to save the world from darkness.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation is the final chapter of the Zenithian trilogy, concluding in an expansive quest of a young Hero who sets out to learn the truth about his world and the mysterious phantom realm that lies beneath. Journeying across a vast and dangerous land, players must confront the Hero’s destiny and recover his long-lost memories in order to unite and save the two worlds.

With its simple and intuitive controls that work perfectly with the vertical layout of mobile devices (facilitating both one and two-handed play), Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation also allows players save at any time through the Quick Save function allowing players to rejoin the action right where they left off. In addition, the title includes work from the legendary trio of creators – Master Creator Yuji Horii, revolutionary Music Composer Koichi Sugiyama and Art Director Akira Toriyama – setting forth a truly stunning and thrilling tale.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragon-quest-vi-now-available-on-ios/feed/0Free Dying Light DLC Availablehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/free-dying-light-dlc-available/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/free-dying-light-dlc-available/#commentsThu, 25 Jun 2015 20:35:50 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27104Techland has announced free DLC content for Dying Light in response to overwhelming support for a water consumption program. More DLC will be available.

]]>Yesterday Dying Light playfully encouraged people to drink water in exchange for a free docket code that gives players a high-tier weapon to redeem in-game. The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive with fans from all over the globe joining in.

To thank fans for their amazing involvement, today Techland announced an extension to the Drink For DLC campaign. Techland have decided to design, create and release a number of all new free DLC packs for Dying Light throughout the second half of the year. The campaign will be led by the fans reaching successive stretch goals – by posting pictures of themselves drinking water on Twitter and tagging them with #DrinkForDLC.

All fans who have already participated will have their submissions added to the total tweet count. A full breakdown of the stretch goals are listed in the attached image along with the originally promised docket code.

However, the very first stretch goal will be a more immediate reward. As the tweet count is already nearing 5,000, Techland decided to reward all the water-loving fans with a 50% XP boost to player agility. The perk will be active for 24 hours, starting this Sunday, June 28th (Pacific Time).

Techland will keep fans informed on the campaign progress via the official Dying Light Twitter account and will announce the number of upcoming free DLCs by the end of July 2015.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/free-dying-light-dlc-available/feed/0Books we’d like to see as gameshttp://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/books-wed-like-to-see-as-games/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/books-wed-like-to-see-as-games/#commentsThu, 25 Jun 2015 15:04:34 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26922This episode of Argue the Toss takes James and Chella into the library. There they find our editor, John Breeden and discuss books they'd like to see as games.

This episode of Argue the Toss takes James and Chella into the library. There they find our editor, John Breeden and discuss books they’d like to see as games.

John dusts off some Russian sci-fi (yes, that is a thing), James goes a bit goth and Chella keeps it contemporary. This is the episode for kids who’ve been to the Derek Zoolander school of reading real good.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-otomege-burikko-academy-chapter-first-semester-by-sakura-ageha/feed/0E3 Expo Press Conference Reactionshttp://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/gin-lounge/e3-expo-press-conference-reactions/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/gin-lounge/e3-expo-press-conference-reactions/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 14:17:09 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26968With the dust starting to settle on what was a very exciting E3 Expo, the GiN Lounge gang come together to rate and react to the major press conferences put on by Bethesda Software, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

With the dust starting to settle on what was a very exciting E3 Expo, the GiN Lounge gang comes together to rate and react to the major press conferences put on by Bethesda Software, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/gin-lounge/e3-expo-press-conference-reactions/feed/0The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III Brings The RPG Actionhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii-brings-the-rpg-action/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii-brings-the-rpg-action/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 14:07:09 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27048The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III makes for a familiar, but still entertaining, experience. There are monsters to murder, loot to collect and your character to develop with interesting and odd skills.

ARPGs are a very fickle type of game, consumed by a very fickle type of consumer. A decent product is praised, a great product is recommended beyond measure. Those that do not meet expectations are complained about for years to come- for proof of this, see many, “Too little, too late” comments all directed at Diablo III. The Adventures of Van Helsing III is now the third in what has culminated in an annual series. Is this third installment worth the cash or would it be better left to a Steam sale, if at all? Read on to find out.

The first Adventures of Van Helsing game, which I reviewed in 2013, was quite the enjoyable hack n’ slash style RPG. Players would come for the familiar gameplay and… probably the pancakes, or something, but would stay for the clever and humorous writing or the atmosphere. Van Helsing III follows much the same path as the first game of its series, treading extremely familiar ground should you have any experience with this genre. There are monsters to murder, loot to collect and your character to develop with odd and interesting skills. Oftentimes, executing the common elements of the genre is more important than innovation and in that circumstance Adventures of Van Helsing III makes a familiar, but still entertaining, experience.

I cast Magic Missile!

Those returning from the first or second Adventures of Van Helsing game may notice the six different classes available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The Constructor fights with gadgets and turrets, for example, while an Umbralist will take a rogue’s approach to combat, disappearing and dealing heavy damage in single strikes in exchange for severely lessened defenses. Some skills are significantly less useful than others, though, since playing an Umbralist can feel underpowered. However, upon unlocking Wraith Strike and talents that apply shadow marks you can begin one-shotting bosses. Balance is an interesting subject in this game and it can really be as easy or as difficult as you wish.

Check out the first 30 minutes of gameplay in our Van Helsing III Let’s Play:

Due to the nature of the classes, some may find there’s some decent replay value to the game. This is important, considering the current level cap is actually quite low. The constant flow of new gear, increasing stats, etc., makes progression a pleasant experience the whole way through the adventure, with select equipment being for your character while others are used for Katarina, your follower. With how plentiful new items and equipment are, it isn’t uncommon to stop every so often just to check if that new chest piece you picked up is marginally better than your current gear. One thing that could have used some work was the user interface, which definitely could have used a less over-designed touch.

The game’s steampunk-inspired aesthetic is also present in the UI, but it doesn’t translate well due to empty space in areas like the skills menu, for example. The aforementioned menu is covered with a series of circular portraits, segments that light up, etc., but none of it means anything until the player haphazardly clicks or hovers over various facets of the skills menu to determine how to add points to skills or what they’re even adding points to is somewhat unintuitive when you’re starting out. The skill menus, etc., aren’t exactly more obfuscated than US foreign policy or anything, but just like it there is a lot left to be desired.

A carnival! Do you think there will be a Dungeons & Dragons ride? (+1 to anyone who gets that joke)

As stated before, one thing players could count in a prior Adventures of Van Helsing game was the humorous dialogue. Singing terribly off key to torture information out of a prisoner is not an unheard of thing in this game and most of the voice acting is of high quality, so it takes advantage of the script and ridiculous circumstances quite well. Some characters voice acting seems nigh of intentionally bad, however, which only adds to the humor. The campaign has a fair amount of content, and while the story isn’t exactly anything to write home about (which, most don’t buy ARPGs like this for the plot), the referential humor should have enough to keep a player’s attention through much of it as it isn’t your typical grim-dark fantasy affair.

As far as graphics go, the Van Helsing games have never exactly been aesthetic powerhouses. The environments typically look quite well from the standard viewing distance, but there are various imperfections that only become more obvious if players choose to zoom the camera in, for some reason. The areas you traverse are, however, quite varied from one another and you won’t mistake yourself one zone for being another, something the dungeon simulator type of Diablo clones tend to get wrong. There’s not really a significant, noticeable difference from Helsing I to III, which may make sense since the games are merely a couple years from one another. Those expecting some kind of tremendous technological advancement will be disappointed, since Van Helsing III uses the same engine as prior games and looks quite familiar.

Of course, there are a fair amount of issues with the game as of release, the largest of which being that there are bugs aplenty, many of which affect users differently. Falling through the floor, pathing bugs (your character or the companion just can’t figure out where to go or how to get there), video glitches, being unable to attack for extended and random periods of time- all of these were experienced in just a few hours of play. Some of the bugs are inconsequential, while others are frustrating enough to cause a player to shout at the inanimate object that is their monitor, many of which don’t recognize voice commands nor could it do what the player orders it to since it lacks the proper, um, parts.

Your faithful ghost friend Katarina may end up racking up almost as many kills as you. She’s good to have along!

There were more bugs than if you were to cut through a mattress at a local motel, and while some of these were patched a fair number of them still remain. At release, there was text on Katarina, the ghost follower, that she could go to town and purchase potions. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem… if the text wasn’t carried over from a previous game since you can’t buy potions in Van Helsing III. That, of course, was patched out in the first update or so while other glitches such as being stuck in place for extended periods of time with no enemies around seem to still be present. Thankfully, online connectivity returns in the third installment of Van Helsing. Players in the campaign can have someone join them, but there’s even more replay value in the multiplayer co-op scenarios that players can team up to beat. There are also two PVP modes on which your mileage may vary- some may get lost in those for hours while others may find it too removed from normal game progression and abstain. Those wishing to play more single player after finishing the campaign can also take on additional scenario challenges that allow players to fight against enemies higher than the level cap.

Look into the light. Or don’t. Either way, my magic will burn you out.

All in all, The Adventures of Van Helsing III is a decent game. There’s nothing truly remarkable about it, least of all should you have gone through prior iterations. Those who invested significant amounts of time in the first two games may wish to pick up the third simply to finish the story, while those less invested may move on to other Diablo-likes with fewer issues. One thing is certain, however: If you did not like one of the first games in the series, you will not like the third and there is nothing in III that will change your opinion of the series. Van Helsing III is a very, very modest sequel sold at a modest price point, offering extensive play time should that be the kind of game you enjoy. Those who like ARPGs will assuredly find something enjoyable in the third installment of the Adventures of Van Helsing franchise, while those wishing for a more expansive sequel might want to wait until more patches release.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii-brings-the-rpg-action/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: The Shining Ones by David Eddingshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-shining-ones-by-david-eddings/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-shining-ones-by-david-eddings/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 13:32:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27009Michael's back with the second book in The Tamuli series for this week's Book Series Wednesday. It's The Shining Ones by David Eddings! Spoilers for previous books inside!

This week for Book Series Wednesday I’m continuing with The Tamuli series. It’s The Shining Ones by David Eddings!

Plot Synopsis: The Shining Ones continues the adventures of the series. Having seen the beginning of the threats in the Tamuli Empire, Sparhawk and his friends launch a campaign to purge the majority of the offenders

Plot: The plot in this book is much better than the first in The Tamuli, and I truly enjoyed it quite a bit.

Characters: Sarabian is easily my favorite newest character, as he didn’t get much of a presence in Domes of Fire. The rest of the cast is still great though.

Overall: Much better than Domes of Fire, this takes the series back onto course. Well worth reading.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-shining-ones-by-david-eddings/feed/0South Park: The Stick Of Truth Sequel Confirmedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-sequel-confirmed/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-sequel-confirmed/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 20:05:58 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27080Ubisoft has confirmed a sequel to South Park: The Stick Of Truth. Follow along with your favorite characters on yet another adventure in a sleepy Colorado town.

]]>Today, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft and South Park Digital Studios announced that South Park: The Fractured but Whole, a sequel to 2014’s award-winning South Park: The Stick of Truth, is currently in development. Players will once again assume the role of The New Kid and join South Park favorites Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in a new hilarious and outrageous adventure.

Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco, South Park: The Fractured but Whole will enable players to delve into the crime-ridden underbelly of South Park with Coon and Friends. This dedicated group of crime fighters was formed by Eric Cartman, whose superhero alter ego, The Coon, is half man, half raccoon. As The New Kid, players will join Mysterion, Toolshed, Human Kite, Mosquito, Mint Berry Crunch and a host of others to battle the forces of evil while Coon strives to make his team the most beloved superheroes in history.

Ensuring another truly authentic South Park experience, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are involved in every step of the development of the game.

“The success of South Park: The Stick of Truth proves our fans crave a deeper interactive experience with South Park,” said Dan Yang, EVP and GM, Consumer Products, Viacom Music & Entertainment Group. “Working with Ubisoft to extend the South Park gaming franchise will no doubt galvanize the audience’s interest across all platforms.”

“By successfully mixing outstanding comedy with excellent gameplay, South Park: The Stick of Truth created a game genre: the Comedy Role-Playing Game,” said Laurent Detoc, president at Ubisoft. “Our teams worked hard, laughed hard, and players loved it so we’re back to collaborate on the fantastic world created by Matt, Trey and the talented group at South Park Digital Studios with South Park: The Fractured but Whole.”

South Park: The Fractured but Whole will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-sequel-confirmed/feed/0DragonCon Announces 2015 Guests of Honorhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragoncon-announces-award-winners/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragoncon-announces-award-winners/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 18:47:22 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27074Atlanta's DragonCon announces two award winners who will be introduced at this years convention.

Both Guests of Honor are widely renowned in their respective fields and recognized as endlessly creative individuals. They will be recognized at the Guests of Honor Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 5.

“We are delighted to have Peter and Ciruelo join us for Dragon Con 2015,” convention co-chair Rachel Reeves said. “For nearly 30 years, we have honored the artists and authors and other creators who bring their incredible imaginations to the worlds of science fiction and fantasy art and literature.”

Author Peter F Hamilton

Hamilton is best known for writing “space operas” – romantic and often melodramatic adventures set mainly or entirely in space. Hamilton’s Fallen Dragon was nominated for both an Arthur C. Clarke Award and John W. Campbell Memorial Award. His short story, “The Suspect Genome” was recognized with a British Science Fiction Award. Born in Rutland, UK, Hamilton still lives there today with his family.

Artist Ciruelo Cabral

Best known for his paintings of dragons, Ciruelo Cabral (b. Gustavo Cabral) has created book covers for George Lucas, album covers for Steve Vai and other rock acts, and magazine covers for Heavy Metal, Playboy and others. His artwork can also be found on Magic: The Gathering cards. While much of his artwork has been published in nine books including The Book of the Dragon, Ciruelo also pioneered a technique of painting on rocks that have the appearance of sculpture. He currently lives with his family near Barcelona, Spain.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/dragoncon-announces-award-winners/feed/0Graphic Audio review of Mistborn: The Final Empirehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/graphic-audio-review-of-mistborn-the-final-empire/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/graphic-audio-review-of-mistborn-the-final-empire/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 14:07:37 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27035Michael has started reviewing Graphic Audio books which aim to create “A Movie in Your Mind.” First up is Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. Does it sound like a winner?

Hi all, I’ve recently been able to start listening to the excellent work by Graphic Audio and their awesome production team that turns books into “A Movie in Your Mind.” Graphic Audio take books, have multiple actors and a sound effects specialist make into exactly that. It makes Audiobooks great for even those have trouble picturing stories in their mind. This may come with a slightly higher price, but to be honest if you have the money to spend I would definitely spend it on the Graphic Audio version every time if they can keep up with the quality of work I heard in Mistborn: The Final Empire.

Now longtime readers of my Wednesday column know that I love Brandon Sanderson’s work and I figured as a great way to kick off I’d listen to the first Brandon Sanderson book I ever listened to, Mistborn: The Final Empire.

Plot Synopsis: The Mistborn series is set in a roughly medieval dystopian future on the world Scadrial, where ash constantly falls from the sky, all plants are brown, and supernatural mists cloud every night. One thousand years before the start of the novel, the prophesied Hero of Ages ascended to godhood at the Well of Ascension in order to repel the Deepness, a terror threatening the world whose true nature has been lost to time. Though the Deepness was successfully repelled and mankind saved, the world was changed into its current form by the Hero, who took the title “Lord Ruler” and ruled over the Final Empire for a thousand years as an immortal tyrant and god. Under his rule, society is stratified into the nobility, believed to be the descendants of the friends who helped him achieve godhood; and brutally oppressed peasantry, known as skaa.

Plot: I’ll briefly touch over the plot here, as I’ve covered it in my own post on my blog in the past, but I’ll just say one thing. It’s excellent and is easily one of the best plots I’ve ever read. That being said I kind of regret choosing Mistborn as it is a depressing series and I should’ve picked Warbreaker instead.

Voicework: Way too many people for me to even try to attribute them to characters, but they all did an excellent job. My only real question and hope is that in the future Brandon Sanderson series they use someone a bit less gruff sounding for Hoid, a character who appears in all of the Adult Fiction series Brandon does. Props to all of them and here is a list to show the work that goes into this for just voicework. Terence Aselford, David Jourdan, Kimberly Gilbert, Thomas Keegan, Michael John Casey, Tony Nam, Danny Gavigan, Mort Shelby, Steven Carpenter, Michael Glenn, Christopher Graybill, Ken Jackson, Nick DePinto, Gregory Gorton, James Lewis, Scott McCormick, Evan Casey, Richard Rohan, Gary Telles, Nanette Savard, Joe Brack, Tim Getman, Alyssa Wilmoth, Nathanial Perry and David Coyne.

Sound Effects: Now you might be saying, Michael you are reviewing an Audiobook why is there a part for Sound Effects. That’s part of the appeal of Graphic Audio and they did an amazing job with Mistborn: The Final Empire and even had the sound effects for Allomancy down quite well. I can only they can match this for Brandon Sanderson’s Epic Fantasy series The Stormlight Archives.

Overall: This audiobook might be expensive, but it’s well worth the price.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/graphic-audio-review-of-mistborn-the-final-empire/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: My E3 Reactionshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-e3-reactions/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-e3-reactions/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 13:32:06 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27007Michael's back and after last's weeks E3 he's ready to talk about it for this week's Video Game Tuesday! It's all about his E3 Reactions!

This week on Video Game Tuesday I’m covering what I thought about this years E3. It’s all about My E3 Reactions!

Conferences: Well Sony and Microsoft did the best this year in terms of conferences, Microsoft did great with the HoloLens and pushing that tech. I’m looking forward to seeing that technology become amazing. Sony did great with dropping all sorts of bombshells. That being said there were problem areas in those two conferences, the EA interlude in the Microsoft one and Sony had some people on stage that were just boring to listen to. Nintendo on the other hand did it’s own thing, which I can only think of shooting itself in the foot. Ubisoft, EA and Square Enix were the publishers who had conferences this year other than the Big 3 and they had medicore conferences, with Square being the best of the three. EA’s was easily the worst.

Big Announcements:

Fallout 4 console editions will have Mods: I’m excited for that, although the PS4 may not get them which makes me sad.

The Last Guardian is alive: It should be coming out in 2016, but I won’t believe it until I have the game in my hands.

Shenmue III is on Kickstarter: Holy crap, I’ve always had a soft spot for the series since my cousin introduced me to it years ago. It got funded within hours, making it the fastest funded and most expensive video game on Kickstarter! I’m hoping they also re-release the older games for the PS4.

Final Fantasy VII is being remade completely: I never saw this coming as it’s the console gamer equivalent of Half-Life 3. Hopefully the remake is good, but I personally would’ve preferred it if they had chosen IX or VI instead of VII.

Xbox One is getting a new controller: Sort of, it’s a $150 version that includes neat features that are completely unnecessary and it probably won’t sell very well.

Xbox One is getting backwards compatibility: The only thing I can see that the Xbox One has over the PlayStation 4 at this point, having backwards compatibility. I wish the PS4 would have this coming too, but it sounds like it’s not going to happen. Oh well.

Xbox One is getting Early Access: This will probably become a nightmare, if the Steam Early Access is anything to go by.

What Didn’t Get Announced:

Final Fantasy XV: No release date was announced, although this may be announced later in the year at another conference. I’m hoping so at least.

Zelda Wii U: No release date or window. Nintendo has been slowly losing my trust over the last 7 years, but I keep hoping they’ll bring their heads out of the ground soon.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-e3-reactions/feed/0Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is an Excellent Expansionhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/final-fantasy-xiv-heavensward-is-excellent-expansion/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/final-fantasy-xiv-heavensward-is-excellent-expansion/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 17:43:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27058Our reviewer has been playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for a while now, and was quite excited for the Heavensward expansion releasing tomorrow. Get the skinny from his early access review.

I’ve been playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for a few months and while I’d gotten to the level cap and gained some of the best items in the game for my preferred class/job of Ninja I still had barely touched the surface of the game. So when Early Access opened up this past Friday for the next expansion, Heavensward, I’d been prepared to experience the new content but still knew I’d be going back to experience stuff I’d missed in A Realm Reborn. I don’t mind that as Square Enix has made it easier to complete lower level content, a feature I’m immensely happy for.

But that has nothing to do with Heavensward, not really at least. Heavensward is a natural evolution of the game I’ve come to love over the past few months, with massively bigger areas to explore, of which I’ve only explored two and a half so far. Not only did they open up the world in ways I’d never have thought possible for this game, but they did it with the smoothest “launch” of any game I’ve ever played. I experienced only minor queues into my server and I haven’t been kicked or experienced lag once. Not even when me and about 300 other players on my server went to participate in one of the new Major Boss FATEs like Odin and Behemoth in ARR.

The game’s environments, which I’ve barely touched, are amazing and beautiful in ways that make my past experience with World of Warcraft look like I was playing in a child’s game. I’ve seen and experienced the majesty of Ishgard and Dravania in ways that have made my jaw drop when I took the time to look around.

Speaking of exploration, it’s a very necessary step in unlocking flight with your personal mounts in the new areas. You are required to gain five Aether Currents via questing, some main story quests and other’s side quests. You also need to find ten out in the world, with nothing but a compass and your own wits to find and get to in order to attune yourself with them.

Not Pictured: A party of moogle’s singing “I’m on a boat.”

Flight is a very welcome addition to this game, and with the incredibly massive areas in both the planar and multi-dimensional aspects it’s the fastest way to get around. Having to earn it irks many players, but doing it this way avoids the problem that World of Warcraft had for years after The Burning Crusade. The problem was that player’s would just skip all extra content and just dive bomb onto the things they needed for quests than take off, while avoiding 99% of the enemies.

There must always be a Cid, Biggs, and Wedge. Or else it wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy game.

Getting to the story portion of this review, as any frequent readers of my columns will know I abhor spoilers, so I won’t get into any of it except vaguely. The story in Heavensward is amazing and takes place shortly after the cliffhanger ending of the ARR story. It’s an amazing continuation of both left over plot threads and new ones that has made me laugh, cry, and rage. I personally love story, so when I experienced ARR’s story I was happily surprised to see how amazing it was. They even make fun of the fact that I end up being people’s errand boy/girl.

To cut a long review short, if you have the money to play ARR and Heavensward you should as it’s one of the best Final Fantasy and MMORPG experiences I’ve ever had.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/final-fantasy-xiv-heavensward-is-excellent-expansion/feed/2Life is Strange Full Episode 3 Reviewhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/life-is-strange-full-episode-3-review/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/life-is-strange-full-episode-3-review/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 14:21:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26752Still reeling from the events in Episode 2, I was keen to see what would happen next. This chapter was a return to form for the series. Max and Chloe's relationship was central, with lots of intimate dialogue scenes. But nothing can prepare players for the shock ending.

Life is Strange, Episode 3: Chaos Theory picks up at the end of Episode 2. Depending on how your story ended last time, Max is dealing with the fallout of her decisions or breathing a sigh of relief. In my version of events, it’s the former.

The trouble with episodic games, is they can struggle with pacing. Some episodes are better than others, leaving gamers wondering if they should stick it out. Life is Strange came out with a strong opening episode that had everyone on the edge of their seat, but the second installment fell a bit flat in the middle. The introduction of traditional gameplay elements didn’t add anything, instead slowing the story down. But Dontnod pulled it back from a disappointment, with a dramatic finale.

Still reeling from the events in Episode 2, I was keen to see what would happen next. This chapter was a return to form for the series. Max and Chloe’s relationship was central, with lots of intimate dialogue scenes.

As the plot thickens, it becomes more and more difficult to avoid spoilers for previous episodes, but this will be spoiler free. If you haven’t already, I advise you to read my reviews for Episode 1 and Episode 2.

This chapter begins with Max and Chloe breaking into Blackwell

Chloe and Max start digging for clues

Academy to gather evidence. They suspect the principal is hiding something and rifle through the student files of all the main players in this increasingly complex drama.

The next target for investigation is Chloe’s stepdad, David Madsen, in a sequence that leads to a major moral dilemma. This scene had me crippled with indecision. The rewind power means you can see both outcomes, but you’re still left wondering what the wider, long-term implications might be. Side with David and risk Chloe’s wrath or take Chloe’s side and watch a marriage collapse. The choice is yours and even thought it may appear black and white, previous episodes prove it’s hard to second guess what the consequences may be.

Whilst I was disappointed with the ‘gamey’ elements of Episode 2, Chaos Theory succeeds in using Max’s powers to great effect. Puzzles need to be solved using Max’s time rewind to manipulate conversations in your favour. Characters tell you something, allowing you to rewind and use that as a conversation starter, to get them to reveal even more information.

It’s important to remember that while in rewind, Max retains all items and information. She also stays in the same position. This is used to great effect in a few instances. And thankfully, there were no more of the terrible memory test games, which reared their head in Episode 2.

The other puzzles involve walking around collecting items in order to open up the next cutscene. These could have been boring ‘go fetch’ moments, but once again clever writing comes into play. As we search for our game items, new story clues cross our path. You can just fetch the items or you can pore over the details scattered through the game and enrich your experience.

Max and Chloe’s relationship becomes more confusing

Life is Strange is at its best during the quiet moments. If Max is alone, you can choose to sit on a bench and listen to her inner thoughts. But it’s her relationship with Chloe that is central to this episode.

Since the beginning of the game, there has been an ambiguity about Chloe’s relationship with Rachel Amber. Were they romantically involved? And now there’s a growing sexual tension between Max and Chloe. A scene in a swimming pool and then waking up in bed together the next morning, are two of the game’s trademark quiet moments, which lend more weight to a possible romantic interest between the girls.

Some may say that Dontnod is tiptoeing around the issue of gay relationships. Is this ambiguity a form of cowardice on the part of the writers or is it planned? Only time will tell.

I’m willing to give Dontnod the benefit of the doubt. In some ways, the ambiguity works better. Those teenage years are confusing and the edges are blurred. When does friendship become romance? And why should Dontnod put their characters in a box? Slapping a big ‘they’re lesbians’ label on them could be seen as tokenism or worse, titillation for the sake of being edgy. Max is torn between Chloe and Warren and I like that, even though she seems intent on sabotaging our date with Warren.

Life is Strange always packs a dramatic punch at the end of each episode, but I wasn’t ready for this ending. By the end credits, everything has changed. Max has used her rewind power to alter a pivotal moment and the consequences have been huge. I don’t even know if Rachel Amber is missing any more. That’s how big the ending was.

I have so many questions at this point. I can’t wait to see how they write their way out of this particular corner. Life is Strange isn’t perfect, but so far, it’s the best bit of interactive storytelling I’ve ever played. Sure, I’d like to be able to take photos at will and sometimes the gameplay feels a bit repetitive, but this is edge of my seat storytelling. If you were disappointed by Episode 2, jump into Episode 3 because it’s the best installment yet – just steel yourself for an emotional ride. Or you can check out my Let’s Play of Chaos Theory now on the GiN YouTube channel.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/life-is-strange-full-episode-3-review/feed/0Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes Unveiledhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/rescue-2-everyday-heroes-unveiled/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/rescue-2-everyday-heroes-unveiled/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 13:51:35 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27069Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes allows you to take control of a firefighter and help out the local populace by fighting massive blazes and saving lives.

]]>How many lives will you save? This important question is not only a central part of every firefighter’s job, but also the motto of the brand new strategy simulation game Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes. Developed by the Finnish studio Fragment Production Ltd. and published by German games publisher rondomedia, the game offers players an unique perspective into the daily challenges of managing the affairs of several fire stations within a large urban area!

Numerous players have already been captivated by the preceding parts of the Rescue-series, now all fans of firefighting simulations can experience even more, high-octane fun in the newest part of the franchise Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes.

As the head of operations, the player will not only be responsible for the safety of the fictitious city of Belvitsia, but also ensure that his rescue units are always adequately equipped to tackle their dangerous tasks. Whether small outdoor fires or massive structural infernos, it is his call to provide the men and women under his command with the right gear, to assign the specialists hired by him to specific fire stations and to coordinate their journey to various simultaneously occurring emergencies throughout the city. Do you have the strategic abilities and skill to master all these tasks? Try your hand and become a real everyday hero in Rescue 2!

Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes will delight players with an exciting back story, varied main missions and manifold side quests as well as offer a profound insight into the daily challenges of a real life firefighter.

All decisions, ranging from the selection and compilation of different fire brigades, their gear or the suitable extinguishing agent for any situation at hand, to the choice if to use nearby lakes as additional water sources, need to be carefully considered. Just like in real life every second counts in the fast-paced missions of Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a Manwha instead of a typical Manga. It’s Witch Hunter by Cho Jung-man!

Plot Synopsis: In a world where witches have declared war against humanity, causing two-thirds of the world to fall apart, the surviving human population has gathered specialists with the power to hunt and destroy witches.

Tasha Godspell, also known as the “Magic Marksman,” is one of the best Witch Hunters there is. Along with his sword-wielding Jack-o’-Lantern partner known as Halloween, Tasha puts his magical training and weaponry to good use, in his constant battles against witches.

Plot: The plot’s fairly dark, but it’s still pretty good. I wish it was being translated more regularly, but that’s just my personal nitpick.

Characters: Tasha and Halloween are excellent main characters and the rest of the cast is quite good. It is a fairly large cast as well, which is nice.

Art: The artwork is quite good, as good as any Japanese Manga of a similar time period.

Overall: This is a great read, if you don’t mind the absolutely sporadic translation speeds.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-witch-hunter-by-cho-jung-man/feed/0What Was Your Favorite Part of E3?http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/e3-nintendo-sony/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/e3-nintendo-sony/#commentsSun, 21 Jun 2015 13:51:02 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27043E3 has wrapped up and Aster, Jordan and Joe are remembering some of their favorite moments from the event, which isn't a whole lot.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/e3-nintendo-sony/feed/0Anime Sunday: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Episode 03http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-mobile-suit-gundam-unicorn-episode-03/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-mobile-suit-gundam-unicorn-episode-03/#commentsSun, 21 Jun 2015 13:32:07 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26990Michael is back with the third entry in the Unicorn series for this week's Anime Sunday. It's time to find the Ghost of Laplace with Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Episode 03! Spoilers for previous episodes inside!

Previous Episode Synopsis: The transformed Unicorn Gundam overpowers the Kshatriya and Marida is ordered to retreat. The Unicorn is picked up by the Londo Bell ship Nahel Argama. Banagher is questioned by Daguza Mackle about how he came to possess the Unicorn Gundam but is interrupted by the Sleeves’ surprise attack. Full Frontal, the leader of Neo Zeon, demands that the Nahel Argama hand over any items related to Laplace’s Box, including the Unicorn. Daguza tries to ensure safe passage by holding Audrey – revealed to be Zeon Princess Mineva Lao Zabi – hostage, but Frontal refuses to accept they have the real Mineva. With no other choice, Banagher sorties in the Unicorn against the Sinanju; he fights well, but is captured when blindsided by the Kshatriya. Banagher is taken to meet Frontal at the Sleeves asteroid base of Palau.

After discussing the nature of Zeon with Marida, who is placed in charge of watching over Banagher, a crew member from the Nahel Argama disguised as a bum bumps into Banagher and passes him a map and a transmitter, telling him to get to the 14th space gate or risk being killed in the coming battle. Banagher laments over how the colony will become a battlefield soon.

Plot: The plot of this third episode is quite good as it shows the other perspective of the conflict from the Federation’s view point. Banagher may be stuck in the middle of the conflict, but he holds the key to ending the battle and is the one who must decide on what to do. So it’s good to see Banagher man up and learn some stuff.

Characters: We are introduced to Riddhe in this episode, and while I don’t like the character he is fairly important.

Art: The art is still excellent.

Music: Again like the art it’s still excellent.

Overall: It’s a good episode, but not my personal favorite of the series.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-mobile-suit-gundam-unicorn-episode-03/feed/0Coming Back to Mobile in Terra Battlehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/coming-back-to-mobile-in-terra-battle/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/coming-back-to-mobile-in-terra-battle/#commentsSat, 20 Jun 2015 13:53:17 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=27028This week Billy makes his grand return to mobile gaming with Terra Battle, a game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Is it worth a shot?

This week I got to do something I haven’t done in a really long time. Play a mobile game on my smartphone. I first jumped into the smartphone game about four years ago with my first phone: the LG Lucid. It lasted a long time, but in the last few months, it became incapable of doing much outside of Facebook and email. I finally put the poor thing to rest last weekend while I was out seeing Jurassic World (Which is great by the way) and picked up a Droid Mini.

With my new phone in hand, I already knew the first game I wanted to try out. This game is called Terra Battle. Anyone who keeps up with my posts here at GiN knows that I’m a huge fan of the classic Final Fantasy games. It just so happens that Terra Battle is made by Mistwalker, which is the studio ran by former Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.

Bosses take up more room on screen and can bump the player’s characters around.

Terra Battle is a turn-based strategy RPG that follows the freemium model. I’m not a huge fan of this whole concept, but I’ve got to say that this game does it right. It costs stamina to take part in battles and stamina will regenerate over time. Players can also buy energy to refill their stamina for the typical ridiculous prices. However, the long-lasting battles found in Terra Battle mean that stamina has plenty of time to recharge while players are enjoying the game.

In my experience, I’ve found that I can put a solid hour into the game without having to worry about running out of stamina. This is plenty of time to put into a mobile game and energy is awarded each time a chapter is completed. This means that I’ve been able to put extra time into the game at my discretion due to hoarding energy. It actually makes for a game that doesn’t feel like it follows the freemium model.

As I said before, Terra Battle is a turn-based strategy RPG. The game has a strong focus on having characters team up to take enemies on. This means that players will have to do their best to make sure they position their characters on the opposite sides of enemies to attack them.

Players can have up to six characters in their party at a time. Since it only takes two characters to start an attack the others can go after separate enemies. However, lining characters up with those that are getting ready to attack will allow them to add their power to the attack and perform special moves. This adds to the strategy of the game as if forces players to put their characters in prime positions to add their power to attacks.

Moving characters around on the field of battle is strange. Characters don’t have a specific movement range, but there is a time limit to how long they can move before the turn ends. Characters can also slide into their allies to move them around on the battle field. This means players will have to make plans before moving so that they can position their characters on the field for optimal attacks.

Terra Battle also allows players to team up for co-op battles and can also fight against each other. There are also a series of challenges that players can take on to level them up between story missions. Other timed events show up on the map every day to give players a chance to increase their levels. Some are even designed to help boost the level of weaker characters.

Characters in Terra Battle are recruited from the tavern. The tavern is basically a hub that allows players to modify their teams and prepare for battle. Some characters can also have additional jobs assigned to them and have their DNA combined to create new characters with shared stats and skills. Players can also recruit Eidolons (Summons) to help them in battle and can level them up as well.

Chaining huge damage together is a must to make it far in this game.

The overall story of Terra Battle is pretty generic. Players are on a quest to find the “Maker” and will meet up with various different races and uncover secrets that are hidden in their world. Like I said, it’s the basic fantasy story line.

The graphics for Terra Battle are the standard that you’ll see on mobile devices. There aren’t much in the way of fancy animations, but a simple user interface that makes the game easy to play is a blessing. I will say that the character portraits that are included in the game are appealing to the eye.

The audio found in Terra Battle is great. It’s strange to find good music in a mobile game, but this one has it. This is easily due to the fact that songs in the game have been composed by Kenji Ito, Yoko Shimomura and Yasunori Mitsuda. All of which have composed music for popular Square Enix games. There are even options for live versions of songs.

Overall, Terra Battle is an amazingly good mobile game and I’m so very glad that I’ve gotten the chance to play it. Frankly, I’m not done with the game yet, but mobile games are huge tasks that take forever to complete. I’ve got right around 10 hours into the game and I’m still loving it. The easy to control battle that make players think before they act is great. Also, the audio is wonderful and is one of the best parts of the game.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/coming-back-to-mobile-in-terra-battle/feed/0Shoujo Saturday: 3×3 Eyes by Yuzo Takadahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-3x3-eyes-by-yuzo-takada/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-3x3-eyes-by-yuzo-takada/#commentsSat, 20 Jun 2015 13:32:04 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26982Michael's back with a series that is as confusing as it is good for this week's Shoujo Saturday. It's 3x3 Eyes by Yuzo Takada!

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series I found quite good, even if it got a bit confusing. It’s 3×3 Eyes by Yuzo Takada!

Plot Synopsis: Pai, a mysterious young girl, has travelled to Tokyo searching for an artifact, but shortly after she arrived, a thief snatched her backpack and cane from her. A teenage lad, Yakumo, tackled the crook and managed to get the pack back for her, though the thief escaped with the cane.

Plot: The plot is quite good, although somewhere in the middle it gets quite confusing for a bit. That isn’t to say it ruins the plot, it just gets a little odd and I can’t say anything more without spoiling major plot points.

Characters: There are so many characters in this series it’s a little ridiculous, but considering how long the series ran it’s not too surprising.

Art: The art is good, although since the series first started in 1987 it is a little dated.

Overall: This is a great series, well worth the long read it’ll take to get through.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Action, Magic, Great Plot, Amazing Cast of Characters.

So, we’ve made it, dear playchums. Another E3 has passed, but what a show. It was one of those years where everyone pulled it out of the bag. Well, almost everyone. There were some lows, but these were mostly overshadowed by the soaring highs.

press conference and the crowd was buzzed. Bethsoft didn’t disappoint. There was DOOM 4, which looked insane, followed much Fallout 4 coolness. Not only was there an app game launched that night, but there was a Pip Boy special edition and oh, by the way, the game is out in November.

I’m also really excited about Dishonored 2. I wasn’t expecting a sequel and I wasn’t expecting a female protagonist. The first game was great and I have high hopes for this one.

X Marks the Spot

The Xbox show was one of their best ever. It was good to see them finally realise that there’s more to their console than streaming films and sports.

They ticked lots of boxes with Halo 5: Guardians, Gears 4 and Tomb

A nice surprise at the Xbox E3 2015 conference

Raider. Then there were some surprises, such as Recore, which looks interesting. In addition, Xbox is courting more indies and Japanese talent, which is nice to see. Ashen was another standout title for me there.

However, Hololens stole the show, when that Minecraft city emerged from a tabletop. I was floored and excited. Team Xbox clearly has its eye on the future and it looks awesome.

PlayStation Legends

By the time the Sony press conference came along, it felt like they had no hope of grabbing any headlines. How wrong could we be.

The return of The Last Guardian, with a nice long look at the gameplay, was happy, happy news. Then they hit us with Shenmue III. For my thoughts on this, hit the latest episode of Argue the Toss.

The Sony show was all about the games, with Mirror’s Edge 2 looking gorgeous. Then Media Molecule threw in Dreams for some indie weird. But I’m really excited about Fire Watch. I want to play that now.

New and Old at Square Enix

First there was the guy in the mask, who I later discovered doesn’t like to show his face. So, he’s basically the Daft Punk of the gaming world, which is cool. But he’s also the director of NeiR New Project, which is a game that has me intrigued.

I’m thinking they could have put more effort into the working title,

NeiR New Project was a real teaser

but I like what I’ve seen so far. I’ve heard NeiR was a weird, but cool cult hit, so I’ll have to check it out. The developer provenance on this game is awesome – we’re talking Clover, so they’ve done the likes of Okaymi and Viewtiful Joe. And more recently, as Platinum, they were behind Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. I’m hoping it keeps the melancholy tone of the teaser, but the team said Platinum is on board to bring their experience with action.

And now for the worst bits…

Underwhelming Ubisoft

I was really disappointed with this show. I used to look to Ubisoft for new IP and something different. This E3 they were so mass market, that it was basically Tom Clancy shooting games and sequels. It was safe and a bit dull. If you need to roll out some celebs to bring the buzz, something’s wrong.

Where were the UbiArt announcements? I want the next Child of Light style game or another Valiant Hearts. Must do better Ubisoft.

EA?

So Peter Moore from EA managed to kill any buzz at the Xbox show, by droning on about EA Access. It was like car crash TV, as you could feel the crowd glaze over.

Then there was the EA press conference, which had over 10 minutes of Pele droning on about football or something. He’s a legend, but can we see some games already. And when we did see something interesting, such as Mirror’s Edge 2, they had some woman droning on over the top of it. This was a masterclass in how not to do an E3 show.

Nintendo?

It’s a funny year for Ninty. They have new hardware lurking, so I suspect all the games people wanted will probably hit at E3 2016. Either that or they’re holding back for TGS. But apart from the puppets, this cutesy display was a bit lacking in anything.

And in other news…

Although Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture wasn’t at any of the big conferences, it was on the show floor and the latest gameplay footage looks gorgeous. The happy news is, the game launches at the beginning of August, so I just might have to jump onto a PS4 by then.

I was hoping to see Ghost of A Tale, which is a pet project of mine. A game about a minstrel mouse, inspired by the Redwall books, among other things. I checked the developer’s website and he said he couldn’t afford the time or the cash to go, so fair enough.

Another game I hoped to see, was WiLD. I’ve heard that Beyond Good and Evil has been canned, which is bad news, in the wake of Shunmue III and The Last Guardian, but hey. However, it does mean that Michel Ancel must have full focus on his new project. A bit of a shame that they didn’t have anything to show. I suspect that this ambitious project might be a 2017 job.

There’s a lot to be happy about after E3 2015. Almost everyone did a decent show. The real winner this year are gamers. Developers are also in a good place, with new AR/VR tech and console manufacturers fighting to snag the next big thing in indie. Enjoy the year of gaming and see you for E3 2016.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/e3-2015-the-final-verdict/feed/2Retro Game Friday: Advance Warshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-advance-wars/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-advance-wars/#commentsFri, 19 Jun 2015 13:32:41 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26959Michael's back with a truly classic game that is despite being amazing, quite unknown, for this week's Retro Game Friday. It's Advance Wars!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game that I really enjoyed back in the day. It’s Advance Wars!

Plot Synopsis: The story of the Advance Wars begins in the “Field Training” tutorial mode, with the nation of Orange Star in a war against the neighbouring nation of Blue Moon, with Olaf as the Blue Moon Army commanding officer (CO). Olaf suddenly ordered an invasion of the Orange Star nation, and is in battle with the Orange Star Army. The campaign continues the story that started in the tutorial. Nell, the de facto leader of the Orange Star COs, gives the player the duty of a tactical adviser for the Orange Star Army.

Plot: The plot’s not amazing, but that wasn’t the draw of the game. It was always about the gameplay.

Gameplay: The gameplay is a lot like other strategy games, with Fog of War and various units that do well against certain units and are terrible against others. I particularly enjoyed using aircraft, but I could use pretty much anything to beat the game, as long as I had time. Missions with a time limit were my biggest headache, as I’m sure it was for other players, but I didn’t really mind them too much. That being said the game was turn based and wasn’t real time like Starcraft or Warcraft RTS games.

Art: The game’s artwork was done in pixels which means that it still looks as good as the day it was made. Anyone who has been reading this column knows I have a soft spot for pixel based art.

Music: Like most portable games I never listened to the music, so I don’t remember a thing about it.

Overall: This is a great game and well worth the trouble of finding a copy.

For those who like: Strategy Games, Turn Based Strategy, Great Gameplay, Excellent Artwork.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-advance-wars/feed/0TNT: Otomege Burikko Child Chapter by Sakura Agehahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-otomege-burikko-child-chapter-by-sakura-ageha/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-otomege-burikko-child-chapter-by-sakura-ageha/#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 13:32:37 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26909Michael's back with another series he found quite interesting for this week's Translation Necessary Thursday! It's One Day I Became a Burikko Villainess Noble Girl: Child Chapter by Sakura Ageha!

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series I recently read and fell in love with. It’s Otomege Burikko: Child Chapter by Sakura Ageha!

Plot Synopsis: The high school girl Manami who had fallen down the emergency stairs at school had, before she noticed, become a three year old in the world of an Otome Game. What’s more, that little girl was one of the rival characters that appeared in the game; the can’t-take-a-hint-burikko-type-rival daughter of a marquis family. What awaited her at the end was social obliteration. Though she did get a bad feeling about this… Aimi (now Camille) decided not to worry! It was a dream after all, so that had nothing to do with her. For now, she’s going to master magic! Hooray!

Plot: The plot is pretty good, and while this is just the introductory chapter it’s definitely worth reading still as it’s kind of funny and very enjoyable.

Characters: Camille, called the Queen of Hearts in the game, and Achille, the Jack of Hearts, are great main leads. Royce, the King of Hearts, on the other hand is hilariously a voyeur and sneak thief. I enjoyed the cast of characters immensely.

Overall: This is a great read and easily worth the time necessary to read.

The world exclusive gameplay trailer for HITMAN showcases Io-Interactive’s newest chapter in the acclaimed blockbuster series of creative stealth action games.

The target is Viktor Novikov, a Russian billionaire and one of the ringleaders of an enigmatic spy ring called IAGO. Set against the backdrop of the Sanguine fashion show in Paris. You have the power and intelligence of Agent 47 at your fingertips and, with complete freedom of approach, it is your choice whether to use brute force or orchestrate a genuine masterpiece of assassination.

HITMAN is a live and ever-expanding world of assassination, a digital experience that will continue to grow, deepen and evolve over time, where players perform contract hits on powerful, high profile targets in exotic locations around the world. The experience begins on December 8th 2015.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-io-interactive-shares-first-hitman-gameplay-trailer/feed/0Torchlight Moves To Mobile Deviceshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/torchlight-moves-to-mobile-devices/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/torchlight-moves-to-mobile-devices/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 19:05:58 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26933Torchlight, a classic rpg, moves it's way to mobile devices and will be on display at the E3 expo.

]]>The award-winning action RPG series Torchlight is heading to mobile devices in 2015! Torchlight Mobile is an entirely new game from Perfect World due to release in 2015 for iOS and Android.

Similar to its predecessors, Torchlight Mobile is an action RPG featuring highly robust online gameplay in the unique art style of the series.

Torchlight is an award-winning action RPG franchise originally developed by Seattle-based Runic Games Inc., a veteran team composed of designers and project leads on titles such as Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, and Fate. Torchlight’s 2009 release was met with a shower of accolades, including numerous review scores of 90% and above. The highly anticipated 2012 sequel, Torchlight II, introduced new classes and multiplayer support for both online and LAN play. It was met with similar acclaim and has sold over 3 million copies.

As a much-beloved classic series, Torchlight’s appearance on mobile platforms will surely be a well-received event by RPG and action fans alike.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/torchlight-moves-to-mobile-devices/feed/0Turtle Beach Shows Off New Headset Linehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turtle-beach-shows-off-new-headset-line/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/turtle-beach-shows-off-new-headset-line/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 17:05:39 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26930Turtle Beach unveils a new line up of gaming headsets for a variety of consoles at the E3 expo.

]]>Turtle Beach Corporation, the leading-edge audio technology company and #1 in gaming audio, announced today a selection of new headsets for the latest gaming systems will be showcased at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles at Booth #1347 in the South Hall of the L.A. Convention Center from June 16-18, 2015.

In true Turtle Beach form, the Company’s new lineup includes a variety of high-quality headsets that deliver the most immersive and competitive gaming experience, with a range of features and price points catering to gamers’ varied desires and budgets. E3 attendees will be among the first to check out the

EAR FORCE Recon series gaming headsets, each featuring a new lightweight and comfortable design and convenient in-line controls.

Additionally, Turtle Beach will be holding select demonstrations of its groundbreaking hearing healthcare device – HyperSound Clear, which uses the Company’s patented directional audio technology to deliver rich, 3D sound to the targeted listener to improve sound clarity and speech intelligibility for individuals with hearing loss – for a crisp, clear home entertainment listening experience when watching TV, listening to music and playing video games.

“2015 continues our trajectory of leadership in gaming headsets,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. “Late last year we pioneered the category for fully wireless Xbox One gaming headsets with the launch of the Stealth 500X, which continues to be one of this year’s best-sellers. We’ve now followed that up with our most pre-ordered wireless headset – the Elite 800X, and again with today’s announcement of the Stealth 420X as our third fully wireless Xbox One headset with a suite of high-quality features for under $200.”

Stark continued, “We’re also unveiling eight new high-quality gaming headsets with innovative features like the PX24’s SuperAmp that delivers powerful sound from any connected device and adds features like surround sound and our amazing Superhuman Hearing capability. And I can’t wait for people to experience

HyperSound Clear , which we believe will change the way people with hearing loss and their family and friends enjoy the latest home entertainment when it launches later this year. Whether you have or know somebody with hearing loss or simply love to see the latest groundbreaking technology, there’s nothing else like it available and you have to hear it to believe it.”

]]>Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. has announced a September 15th / 17th release date for PES 2016, marking the 20th anniversary edition of the hugely successful football series.

From its humble origins on PSOne, the PES series has leaped from format to format, adding ever more realism as it evolved. This heritage has been celebrated in PES 2016’s new tagline ‘Love The Past, Play The Future’, highlighting the series’ recent return to core PES values in last year’s PES 2015 and focusing on the many new gameplay and presentational elements that will further establish the series as the definitive soccer experience.

PES 2016 aims to retain its title of ‘Best Sports Game’, as voted across the world at games shows and by major media outlets in 2014, by continuing to lead the way in the recreation of ‘The Beautiful Game’. The series aims to go back to its roots to create an exciting match between users, and proudly present PES 2016 to deliver quality gameplay following ‘The Pitch is Ours’ mantra. From further integration of the industry leading Fox Engine to bring the on-pitch action to life and the full commitment to centre the product around creating the best gameplay experience, to the full redevelopment of Master League, every facet of the game has been enhanced to deliver yet another outstanding product.

PES 2016 will also exclusively retain its use of the UEFA Champions League club competition, which was announced recently. This new 3 year partnership allows KONAMI to feature both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League club competitions within its many options, with both featured as individual modes or within the larger season overview upon qualification – with the UEFA Super Cup featured within the iconic Master League mode

Further details of PES 2016’s content – including a rewards program for current myClub users crossing over this year – will follow, with new information and screenshots released at E3 next week.

“PES 2016 will be the best game in the series,” explained Erik Bladinieres, European Brand Director of Football at Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. “This is solely due to the passionate feedback and support from our users and the community, which helped us get back to the core of what PES is. We truly believe with PES 2016 we will continue to celebrate the history of PES and everything it stands for, and create a new level of quality that has never been reached by any football game. Here’s to another 20 years!”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/pro-evolution-soccer-2016-unveiled/feed/0E3 2015: Square Enix Closes Out E3 Press Conferences With Flairhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-square-enix-closes-out-e3-press-conferences-with-flair/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-square-enix-closes-out-e3-press-conferences-with-flair/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 13:34:26 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26947Square Enix wrapped up the major E3 Expo Press Conferences with a look at some amazing games such as Just Cause 3, an exclusive new PS4 game called NieR and Xbox One's Rise of the Tomb Raider among others.

Square Enix wrapped up the major E3 Expo Press Conferences with a look at some amazing games such as Just Cause 3, an exclusive new PS4 game called NieR and Xbox One’s Rise of the Tomb Raider among others. There were also fan favorites like the Final Fantasy VII remake and Kingdom Hearts 3.

The totally remade Hitman game also made a big splash, with it’s open world sandbox and things like new contracts appearing all the time, and even time-limited contracts where you only get one shot, literally, at taking out your target. Last but not least, Deus Ex Mankind Divided helped to wrap up their show with an amazing bang that brings us the return of Adam Jensen in a world that has turned against augmented humans.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-square-enix-closes-out-e3-press-conferences-with-flair/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: Domes of Fire by David Eddingshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-domes-of-fire-by-david-eddings/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-domes-of-fire-by-david-eddings/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 13:32:35 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26861Michael's back with the second Sparhawk series for this week's Book Series Wednesday. It's time to ride towards the Domes of Fire by David Eddings! Spoilers for The Elenium series inside!

This week I’m continuing with the sequel series to The Elenium for Book Series Wednesday! It’s Domes of Fire by David Eddings!

Plot Synopsis: Domes of Fire returns the reader to the world of The Elenium and the adventures of Sparhawk – Pandion Knight and Prince Consort to Queen Ehlana of Elenia.

Plot: The plot’s pretty good, although it lacks the urgency of the first series, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It does heat up in the sequels, but this is a necessary laying of plot threads. Expect the same amount of casual violence that you saw in The Elenium to return.

Characters: Kurik’s son Kalad is probably my new favorite character along with the returning cast. I’m a little sad that Kurik died at the end of The Sapphire Rose, but Kalad is a worthy successor to his role. Stragen is also a welcome addition.

Overall: This is a great sequel series, and while this is a set up book, it’s very well done.

Square Enix revealed NieR (New Project), at its E3 press conference, yesterday. The game is a follow-up to action RPG, NieR, which has a cult following.

The ‘trailer’ consists of stills of the concept art, with a short full

Character from Sony exclusive NeiR New Project

motion sequence at the end. With the working title NieR New Project, the game promises a blend of action and RPG gameplay styles (so says the press release), although the presentation didn’t say much more than that.

The main character seems to be an anime style girl with white hair and a sword. She seems to be in an abandoned world, which is being reclaimed by nature.

The end of the trailer says ‘more information autumn 2015′, which suggests a Tokyo Game Show announcement. The game is being made by Platinum Games (Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance). It’s worth mentioning that Platinum, used to be Clover Studio and created the memorable Okami and Viewtiful Joe, making this one to watch out for.

NieR New Project is also a PlayStation 4 exclusive and an intriguing one at that.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-square-enix-shows-neir-project/feed/0Shenmue III smashes $2m Kickstarter targethttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/shenmue-iii-smashes-2m-kickstarter-target/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/shenmue-iii-smashes-2m-kickstarter-target/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 07:01:28 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26945Nine hours after it was announced at Sony's E3 2015 press conference, Yu Suzuki's Kickstarter for the long-awaited Shenmue III has broken through it's $2m target. Sony has also confirmed its role as partner for the game.

Nine hours after it was announced at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference, Yu Suzuki’s Kickstarter for the long-awaited Shenmue III has broken through it’s $2m target.

It’s now day two of the 31 day campaign and the total has almost

Ryo character art for Shenmue

reached $3m. At this rate, the stretch target of $4m could be reached by the end of the week.

According to a Eurogamer report, Sony is a partner for this game. Gio Corsi, Sony PlayStation’s director of third party production and developer relations said, “Sony and PlayStation is definitely a partner in this game. It’s going be run through third-party production. We’re going to help YsNet get the game done. We’re going to be partners on it the whole way.”

It looks like Shenmue III could be a PlayStation exclusive, but that’s yet to be confirmed. The game has a tentative release date of December 2017.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/shenmue-iii-smashes-2m-kickstarter-target/feed/0E3 2015: Nintendo Struts With Playful Digital Press Conferencehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-nintendo-struts-with-playful-digital-press-conference/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-nintendo-struts-with-playful-digital-press-conference/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 16:31:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26917Nintendo's digital press conference showed off games for the Wii, WiiU and 3DS platforms. These included a brand new Starfox, a new cooperative Zelda game, new IP for Hyrule Warriors and many others in what looks to be an exciting lineup for all of their platforms.

Nintendo choose to go digital for their E3 Expo 2015 press conference. This gave the big N some advantages over their competitors such as the ability to turn their executives into puppets at different points of the show. The showed off games for the Wii and WiiU and 3DS platforms. These included a brand new Starfox, a new cooperative Zelda game, new IP for Hyrule Warriors and many others in what looks to be an exciting lineup for all of their platforms.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-nintendo-struts-with-playful-digital-press-conference/feed/0E3 2015 Special: Shenmue III and Last Guardian Reactionhttp://www.gameindustry.com/event-coverage/e3-2015-special-shenmue-iii-and-last-guardian-reaction/
http://www.gameindustry.com/event-coverage/e3-2015-special-shenmue-iii-and-last-guardian-reaction/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 14:29:27 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26905James and Chella thought it could never happen, but then Sony announced Shenmue III and the Last Guardian at E3. As mega fans of these series, they Argue the Toss, as only they can.

This week on Video Game Tuesday I’m doing yet another versus column! This time it’s ESO vs. FF14:ARR!

Recently Elder Scrolls Online released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it’s launch has been absolutely terrible. Servers have crashed spectacularly and caused all sorts of issues. That is to be expected with an MMO, but it shows the lack of forethought from the developers.

Gameplay: ESO only has 5 abilities for each of the four classes’s 3 specializations and that’s kind of sad. I mean even Diablo 3 has more skills than that for each class and it has more playable classes. FF14: ARR has many more abilities, with some being cooldown specific and off the global cooldown, which for console players like myself means I can be crafty and macro them together to save precious bar space.

Sideskills: Other than Gathering, FF14: ARR has the better sideskill system. Crafting actually takes skill to do, and isn’t just gather materials and hit a button which is nice.

Artwork: Both are pretty good looking, but I’d have to say the animations for FF14: ARR are better. The FF14: ARR emote system is incredibly varied and very well done, ESO on the other hand doesn’t do that as well. That being said, the musical instrument emotes in ESO are pretty cool.

Music: Both are pretty good, but I’ve always preferred Final Fantasy’s music over any Elder Scrolls music.

Cross Platform Play: Well this is easy, FF14: ARR allows all platforms to play together. ESO doesn’t and therefore significantly limits the Massively in MMO, and will probably end up as deserted as Destiny’s public spaces.

Overall: FF14 is the clear winner in this console MMO versus match. It’s not even close, you get so much more from the game even if you have to pay a subscription to play it’s well worth the money.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-sony-reveals-shenmue-iii-kickstarter/feed/0E3 2015: Sony Reveals The Last Guardian At Massive Press Conferencehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-sony-reveals-the-last-guardian-at-massive-press-conference/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-sony-reveals-the-last-guardian-at-massive-press-conference/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 03:45:11 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26894Sony kicked off it's E3 2015 Press Conference by revealing the PlayStation 4 exclusive The Last Guardian game. After years of waiting, gamers seemed really hyped to finally get a look at the new game from the universally loved series.

Sony kicked off it’s E3 2015 Press Conference by revealing the PlayStation 4 exclusive The Last Guardian game. After years of waiting, gamers seemed really hyped to finally get a look at the new game from the universally loved series.

They continued by showing the original title Horizon Zero Dawn and a brand new Hitman title. Other favorites like a remade Final Fantasy VII game (accompanied by shouts of “It’s finally happening”) were shown as well as games running on virtual reality. And in a somewhat unusual move, the Kickstarter for Shenmue 3 was launched live on the stage. The developer is looking for $2 million. We would not be surprised if this PS4 exclusive is funded by tomorrow morning.

Electronic Arts showed quite a few games at their E3 Expo Press Conference, but mouths hit the floor when the new Star Wars Battlefront was revealed. Check out this unprecedented graphics engine in action!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-ea-reveals-revolutionary-star-wars-battlefront-gameplay/feed/0E3 2015: UBISOFT Shows New IP For Honor, Several Old Favoriteshttp://www.gameindustry.com/event-coverage/e3-2015-ubisoft-shows-new-ip-for-honor-several-old-favorites/
http://www.gameindustry.com/event-coverage/e3-2015-ubisoft-shows-new-ip-for-honor-several-old-favorites/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 00:36:19 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26885Ubisoft pleased the eager crowds at E3 Expo on opening day with several surprises, including a new never-before-seen game called For Honor that promised to give the real visceral feel of melee combat. It was about new IP and many old favorites.

Ubisoft pleased the eager crowds at E3 Expo on opening day with several surprises, including a new never-before-seen game called For Honor that promised to give the real visceral feel of melee combat. They continued to impress by reactivating the Rainbow Squad for a new Rainbow Six game called Siege. And rounded it all out with another look at Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Just Dance 2016. There were plenty of titles and quite a few celebrities as Ubisoft wowed the appreciative crowds.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/event-coverage/e3-2015-ubisoft-shows-new-ip-for-honor-several-old-favorites/feed/0E3 2015: Xbox wows with Halo 5, Tomb Raider and Hololenshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-xbox-wows-with-halo-5-tomb-raider-and-hololens/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-xbox-wows-with-halo-5-tomb-raider-and-hololens/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 23:00:09 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26877Xbox kicked off its E3 2015 show with Halo 5. After promising its best E3 show ever and a disappointing appearance at last year's event, Microsoft had a lot to prove.

Xbox kicked off its E3 2015 show with Halo 5. After promising its best E3 show ever and a disappointing appearance at last year’s event, Microsoft had a lot to prove. Things started well, with a little lull in the middle, but once a holographic Minecraft was revealed, all was forgiven and the crowd was almost stunned into submission.

Lara and her new sidekick in Rise of the Tomb Raider at E3 2015

Halo 5 looked stunning and ticked all the multiplayer boxes. Forza Motorsport 6, Gears 4 and a new, exclusive IP from the creators of Metroid also impressed. Team Xbox brought out the big guns, with Rise of the Tomb, raider, which saw Lara and a sidekick trying to scale an icy mountain top.

However, Minecraft really stole the show, thanks to the magic of augmented reality with Hololens. Seeing a Mincraft city rise up out of a tabletop, on the stage was like the Star Wars chess game just became a real thing – a-mazing.

conference, as it announced backwards compatibility on Xbox One. Finally, gamers will be able to play Xbox 360 games on their next gen console.

The announcement was met with whoops and cheers at the Xbox press conference. Games purchased digitally will begin to pop into your Xbox One library, as they become available. Xbox 360 discs will initiate a download on Xbox One. During the show, the new compatibility was demonstrated with Mass Effect

Preview members gain access to backwards compatibility immediately, but all players will gain access to 360 games in the holiday season.

Microsoft is running its full press conference on its own xbox channel.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-backwards-compatibility-comes-to-xboxone/feed/0E3 2015: Telltale Announces New Walking Dead Game, Michonnehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-telltale-announces-new-walking-dead-game-michonne/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-telltale-announces-new-walking-dead-game-michonne/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 17:38:18 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26870The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Mini-Series stars the iconic character from the comic book series haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret.

Leading publisher of digital entertainment Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator and writer of The Walking Dead for his Skybound imprint at Image Comics, announced today a new installment for the best-selling and award-winning The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series franchise set to premiere later this fall.

The Walking Dead: Michonne – A Telltale Games Mini-Series stars the iconic character from the comic book series haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret. The story explores her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139. Through this Telltale Games mini-series of 3 episodes, players will discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group… and what brought her back.

Premiering this fall, The Walking Dead: Michonne will be available for download on PC/Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and Android-based devices via Google Play and the Amazon App Store.

Players will require at least the first episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two in order to play The Walking Dead: Michonne. Further information about how to access the mini-series will be made available closer to the premiere.

“In many ways, Michonne herself is a reflection of the world of The Walking Dead. She is brutal and cold on the outside, but deep beneath what is broken, she remains hopeful, trying to claw her way out of the darkness that surrounds her,” said Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. “In our effort to bring the world of the comic and the world of the Telltale series closer together, there is no greater character than Michonne to help bridge that gap.”

“Michonne’s complexity and range make her an ideal lead for the compelling interactive drama fans have come to expect from Telltale,” said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. “With this mini-series, players will experience Michonne’s challenges first-hand, and the choices they make will shape her journey. We’re incredibly honored by Robert for the opportunity to share this untold story in The Walking Dead universe.”

To date, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series has sold more than 44 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid and GamesRadar, and was also the recipient of two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story and Best Mobile Game.

The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player’s actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Avalanche Studios today released the Mad Max Eye of the Storm Story Trailer, depicting the merciless Wasteland tyrant Scrotus, who Max must overcome as he attempts to build the ultimate war vehicle and leave the madness of The Wasteland behind.

Mad Max will be released on Sept. 1, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-mad-max-story-trailer/feed/0Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter Heats Up the Serieshttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/game-of-thrones-sons-of-winter-heats-up-the-series/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/game-of-thrones-sons-of-winter-heats-up-the-series/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 14:24:29 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26834The fourth episode, Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter comes to us as the television series is wrapping up for the season. And the videogame proves, especially with episode four, that it can be just as good.

The final episode of this season of the Game of Thrones TV show just wrapped up, and brought with it a lot of interesting twists and plenty of really surprising deaths for a show not afraid to kill off main characters. Meanwhile, over in Telltale Games’ adventure game adaptation, things could very well be screaming towards a similar conclusion. Episode 4 Sons of Winter is about as action packed as these types of games get, but what is more chilling is the fact that several of our favorite characters are being backed into very dangerous corners. It’s doubtful that they all will get out alive.

As with the previous episodes in the series, this one follows the trials and tribulations of House Forrester and includes old favorites that have been with us from the beginning as well as new Forresters that we met in episodes two and into episode three. At least the ones who have survived so far.

This is how you get a jump on the competition in Game of Thrones.

There are four main settings for the fourth episode, including Ironrath (and the nearby Whitehill stronghold), King’s Landing, the area north of the wall at Castle Black and across the Narrow Sea at Meereen. At Meereen, we finally get to interact with Daenerys Targaryen, a fan favorite to be sure, as she shows why she is known as the Mother of Dragons. Interestingly, she comes off as still a bit unsure of herself, given that this is set just before she is able to take over Meereen, so she has not developed her killer instinct just yet which is likely required of whoever will eventually rule the seven kingdoms.

But let’s start up in the north with Gared Tuttle since he gets a most traditional adventure this time around. In episode three, he had to fight off the man who killed his family at the top of The Wall. Even though it was self-defense, he is still blamed for it and locked in a storeroom, ready for execution in the morning. I’m not really sure why Frostfinger is so intent on having you killed, but that is the situation. You have to find a way to escape, choose which companion or companions to take with you, and then beat feet for the wildling territory north of The Wall. When one goes looking for wildlings, one probably finds them, and there are some limited combat sequences once he gets up there, though the bulk of playing with him involves trying to escape the castle. He’s set to seriously start looking for the North Grove now, and my guess is that we will finally find out what awaits there, and how it could possibly help the Forresters in the next episode, a good bet given that there are only two left.

If you think this looks like a pleasant gathering, you would be wrong, very wrong.

Back at King’s Landing, we finally get to see Mira develop into a shrewd strategist. No longer does she have to run around playing defense and trying to talk nicely to the queen mother. Now she is released to plan her own strategy and can manipulate people as the player sees fit. She can become quite cunning and ruthless, betraying those who trust her, or she can keep her reputation intact and complete her objectives other ways. It’s nice that the players are given a bit of choice in how Mira develops. Either way, her political skills are front and center and has players eavesdropping and information swapping while trying to figure out the best approach to help her family from afar. If she survives her trials in King’s Landing, which is by no means assured at this point, I would not be surprised if she somehow rises to a position of power, certainly within her own house, but perhaps elsewhere too.

Back at Ironrath, we see Rodrik slowly getting back to health, and trying to learn how to fight with a sword again. In a really cool scene, we are able to learn a specific move to help make up for our broken body, and get to practice the keystroke and stick combination to make that happen. Later on, we are given the opportunity to do it when it counts, and it’s really cool that we can do the exact same move that we practiced once again.

Another wildling joins the cast? We will see soon enough.

But Rodrik’s story this time is not about fighting, but an invitation to the stronghold of Lord Whitehill, our sworn enemy. If you play your cards right, you can set up a trade where you can swap your imprisoned little brother Ryon for something the Whitehill’s hold dear. The swap is supposed to take place on neutral ground, but I suspect that Whitehill will do everything he can to double cross us. Alas, this is a subject for another episode, though I would suspect that it must all go down in five.

At the end of the episode, Rodrik gets a very unwelcome visitor to Ironrath that will chill your spine, but again, we don’t know what will come of it since the current episode ends before we find out.

Finally, back to Meereen, where exiled brother Asher agrees to help Daenerys by infiltrating the city in the middle of the night. You have to make sure that the signal fires don’t get lit so that the slave revolt can gain the upper hand, a sort of behind the scenes mission that follows both the books and the TV show. Here is where the gameplay gets really interesting and different.

Ah Frostfinger, we are really not sure why you hate us so much, but you do.

Instead of a straight combat sequence, you are tasked with infiltrating one of the signal fire outposts and silently killing all the guards before anyone can raise the alarm. You are given some limited choices as to your plan of attack, and that determines somewhat the choices presented. You will be sneaking up on people, only moving forward when you think their heads will be turned, and then knifing them in the back. It’s not quite like a game centered on stealth like Thief or anything like that, but the sneaking sequences are well done and exciting.

You also may be tasked with doing some silent crossbow shooting as well, though we have seen those types of sequences before. And have no fear, even during the covert operations mission, you will have at least one moral choice to make that has become the hallmark of the series. Just because you are fighting behind the lines doesn’t mean you don’t have to think hard about some story choices.

This is why they don’t call her the Mother of Kittens.

All in all, Episode 4 is probably one of the most exciting to come out in the series yet. Seeing Mira finally develop as a strong character is really nice, as is the unexpected new combat sequences. And I’m not ashamed to admit my heart was beating very quickly during the Whitehall meeting. I expected some treachery, and was trying to anticipate anything, but was still very surprised at how it all played out.

There will be plenty of people who are upset that the TV series has wrapped up its season, especially given all the loose ends we saw there. But at least we can take comfort in the fact that the video game still has two episodes left, and are every bit as good, if not better in some places, as the show. Episode Three, Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter earns 4 and ½ GiN Gems.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/game-of-thrones-sons-of-winter-heats-up-the-series/feed/3E3 2015: Fallout 4 Out November 2015http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-fallout-4-out-november-2015/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-fallout-4-out-november-2015/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 13:41:24 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26854The release date of Fallout 4 was announced at Bethesda's E3 2015 press conference, alongside news of Dishonored 2 and DOOM 4. The game has been in development for four years and begins in the pre-bomb world. Players then wake up 200 years later and emerge as the sole survivor of vault 111.

surprise for fans of the post-apocalyptic series. The first-look trailer was released just a couple of weeks ago, so many would have been expecting a 2016 launch.

The game has been in development for four years. Fallout 4 begins in the pre-bomb world and allows you to create a character and family. You can play as a woman or a man. The game proper starts 200 years later, as you emerge as the sole survivor of vault 111.

The release date of Fallout 4 was announced at Bethesda’s E3 2015 press conference, alongside news of Dishonored 2 and DOOM 4.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-fallout-4-out-november-2015/feed/0Manga Monday: Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hottahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-hikaru-no-go-by-yumi-hotta/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-hikaru-no-go-by-yumi-hotta/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 13:32:25 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26819Michael's back with another series by an author who is known for something else. It's time to place the stones with Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series that was done by an author best known for something else. It’s Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta!

Plot Synopsis: While exploring his grandfather’s shed, Hikaru stumbles across a Go board haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai, a fictional Go player from the Heian era. Sai wishes to play Go again, having not been able to since the late Edo period, when his ghost appeared to Honinbō Shūsaku, an actual top Go player of that period. Sai’s greatest desire is to attain the Kami-no-Itte (神の一手) – “Divine Move” – a perfect move. Because Hikaru is apparently the only person who can perceive him, Sai inhabits a part of Hikaru’s mind as a separate personality, coexisting, although not always comfortably, with the child.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, and while it’s not amazing it’s still good. It follows a standard pattern of Sports series of ever increasingly skilled opponents, but it does it in a way that lets Hikaru as a character grow.

Characters: Hikaru is actually my least favorite character in the beginning, with Sai being close behind. I actually enjoy Akira more simply because he’s a brainy kid.

Art: The art is good, but not as good as the author’s later series like Bakuman.

Overall: This is a good read if you want to learn about the incredibly complex game of Go.

For those who like: Strategy, Sports Series, Good Art, Decent Characters, Great Plot with Excellent Progression.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-hikaru-no-go-by-yumi-hotta/feed/0E3 2015: DOOM 4 gameplay trailerhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-doom-4-gameplay-trailer/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-doom-4-gameplay-trailer/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 10:41:07 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26851Bethesda started E3 2015 with a bang and a lot of head shots with its DOOM gameplay trailer. Id Software's legendary shooter is back, with more gore, bigger guns and just more of everything.

Bethesda started E3 2015 with a bang and a lot of head shots with its DOOM gameplay trailer. The big reveal was part of the studio’s first ever press conference at the LA gaming event, which sees the great and the good of the industry gather over the next four days.

Id Software’s legendary shooter is back, with more gore, bigger guns and just more of everything. This time around, players are invited to create and share their own maps and modes. There’s enough here to please old school fans and woo newcomers.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-doom-4-gameplay-trailer/feed/0E3 2015: Dishonored 2 Announcedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-dishonored-2-announced/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-dishonored-2-announced/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 07:40:08 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26846E3 2015 kicked off with the Bethesda press conference, which announced Dishonored 2. The gorgeous, steampunk styling remains, but this time the trailer features a female protagonist. Players can choose to be Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin. Each assassin has their own set of powers, skills and weapons, changing your playing style accordingly. From the trailer, it’s fair to assume that Emily is the default player character. She was the heir to the throne in the first game and Dishonored 2 takes place 15 years after the demise of the Lord Regent. The rat plague is no more, but Emily’s … Continue reading E3 2015: Dishonored 2 Announced→

announced Dishonored 2. The gorgeous, steampunk styling remains, but this time the trailer features a female protagonist. Players can choose to be Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin. Each assassin has their own set of powers, skills and weapons, changing your playing style accordingly.

From the trailer, it’s fair to assume that Emily is the default player character. She was the heir to the throne in the first game and Dishonored 2 takes place 15 years after the demise of the Lord Regent. The rat plague is no more, but Emily’s throne has been taken from her. So it’s time to leave Dunwall and hit the coastal city of Karnaca to help Emily reclaim what is rightfully hers.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/e3-2015-dishonored-2-announced/feed/0Bethsoft Kicks off E3 with Amazing Press Conferencehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bethsoft-kicks-off-e3-with-amazing-press-conference/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bethsoft-kicks-off-e3-with-amazing-press-conference/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 05:02:41 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26841From Doom to Elder Scrolls Legends to a new Dishonored, Bethesda Softworks brought the heat to E3 Expo with the first press conference of the show. Oh, and did we mention a little thing called Fallout 4!

From Doom to Elder Scrolls Legends to a new Dishonored and even a free app game debuting tonight, Bethesda Softworks brought the heat to E3 Expo with the first press conference of the show. Oh, and did we mention a little thing called Fallout 4!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bethsoft-kicks-off-e3-with-amazing-press-conference/feed/0Super Smash Bros. Leaks Are Inhttp://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/super-smash-bros/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/super-smash-bros/#commentsSun, 14 Jun 2015 19:28:04 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26828The leaks for new Smash characters are in and Jordan isn't very impressed with one of the fighters.

Plot Synopsis: A battle has broken out between the Federation’s Londo Bell taskforce and the Sleeves. As the collateral damage rises, the colony is evacuated. Amidst the chaos, Banagher discovers the fatally-wounded Cardeas Vist in the cockpit of the Unicorn Gundam. Before his death, Vist entrusts the Gundam to Banagher, who realizes that Vist is his father. Banagher then launches in the Unicorn and confronts the Sleeves’ elite pilot, Marida Cruz, who is piloting the Kshatriya.

Plot: The plot of this second episode is pretty good, but I’d say that it isn’t quite as good as the first episode or later episodes. That is understandable though as this is one of those set up episodes for everything that is to come. We also get to see some major characters from previous series in this episode.

Characters: We are introduced to even more of the cast and I have to say that while this may be a set up episode, I don’t mind as we get to see some very familiar faces from previous Universal Century series.

Art: The art is just as good as the first episode, and I truly enjoy the beauty of this OVA series.

Music: The music is great, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the theme that plays during the credit sequence.

Overall: This is a good sequel, but could’ve been better. It does set up for later episodes though so it’s a required watch if you want to see the whole series

Have you ever heard of Pushmo? It’s a puzzle solving title from Nintendo’s Intelligent Systems. I’ve always had an interest in the series, but never picked one up. Until now.

Nintendo sent out a free trial of Stretchmo to basically anyone that owns a 3DS. I figured I’d check it out and in the seven starter levels that the game gave me, I was hooked. I ended up buying all four of the level packs for roughly $10 and I’m so glad that I did. It comes with 250 levels and additional ones can be unlocked.

Classic Nintendo characters made cameos in the game.

As you might expect, this is a lot of gameplay and it’s easily worth the money. This is one of the things that I love about Nintendo. They offer a good amount of content for the price and I’m not afraid to try out new games from them because they’ve done so well in the past, and will hopefully continue to in the future.

Stretchmo is a puzzle platforming game that puts players in the role of Mallow and his friends. These guys attend an amusement park that is filled with challenges for players and will definitely have them scratching their heads at some points.

The basic idea behind the gameplay is that players are presented with levels that can be pulled and stretched out to create new platforms and climb higher. Reaching the top and releasing the goal will have players completing the level.

The game does a really good job at guiding players through the first few levels without leading them by hand. This results in a smooth progression that will have players learning the basics and mastering the game at an even pace with the puzzles they are presented with.

One of my favorite sections of the game is a theme park that includes 8-bit sprites of classic Nintendo characters in the form of puzzles. These puzzles are the hardest (outside of the final area that is unlocked after beating the rest of the game) in the game and really challenge players to think in all three dimensions.

There’s also an area in the game called Stretchmo Studio. This is unlocked when any of the areas in the game are purchased. However, to fully take advantage of it, players need to buy all the areas. This is due to the different gadgets that are found in the four areas of the game and are used to solve puzzles being unlocked after seeing them in a level.

Some puzzles are hard, but others can be fairly straightforward.

Creating Stretchmo puzzles is an entertaining pastime. To make sure that trolls don’t create impossible levels, players must be able to solve their own before being able to share them. Sharing is as simple as clicking a button to have a QR code for the level created. Downloading levels is as easy as scanning another person’s QR code.

The graphics of Stretchmo are entertaining. The game is filled with bright, bold colors that really do make it feel like a theme park. Also these bold colors help the different elements of the puzzles stick out better and make it easier for players to keep track of their progress. The characters also don’t get lost in the puzzles easily due to being round in comparison all the square blocks.

The audio in Stretchmo is enjoyable. The music is really replacing and fits perfectly with the puzzle-solving focus that the game has. Sound effects are also handy as different audio queues let players know what they can and can’t do in the game without much confusion.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Stretchmo. It’s actually the first of Nintendo’s “Free to Start” games that I’ve played and I’m impressed with it. If the company can keep this kind of quality up with its other Free to Start titles, then I may not feel so bad about buying into the business model. There’s a lot of content in the game and it offers real brainteasers for all ages. Maybe I’ll have to look into the other Pushmo games now that I’ve played this one.

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m doing another Quick Review on a series I’ve heard lots about, but only had time to read the first chapter of. It’s Ore Monogatari by Kazune Kawahara!

Plot Synopsis: The story follows Takeo Gōda, a tall and muscular student who doesn’t have much luck with women, as every girl he likes ends up falling for his handsome best friend, Makoto Sunakawa. This all changes when he meets Rinko Yamato, a petite shy girl who, above all other expectations, falls in love with Takeo, beginning a unique love story.

Plot: The plot so far in the first chapter was pretty good, as I was expecting Takeo to be a bit of a delinquent, which happens to be everyone’s expectation. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this romance slice of life series.

Art: Pretty good, but that’s to be expected when you are published by Shueisha.

Overall: I’ll be reading the rest of this series, I’ll probably have a review up next week or sometime afterwards.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-ore-monogatari-by-kazune-kawahara-quick-review-edition/feed/0Screaming into the finish with Life is Strange Episode 3http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/screaming-into-the-finish-with-life-is-strange-episode-3/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/screaming-into-the-finish-with-life-is-strange-episode-3/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 16:36:01 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26796Will Chella survive her first play through of Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory? As we keep pushing forward, things start to get a little bit odd, and a lot more emotional.

There’s not much time left. Will Chella survive her first play through of Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory? As we keep pushing forward, things start to get a little bit odd, and a lot more emotional. Grab some popcorn and come see how it all (almost) turns out.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/screaming-into-the-finish-with-life-is-strange-episode-3/feed/0It’s Space Cowgirls and Blasters in Til Cows Tear Us Aparthttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/space-cowgirls-blasters-til-cows-tear-us-apart/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/space-cowgirls-blasters-til-cows-tear-us-apart/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 14:46:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26769Til Cows Tear Us Apart blends retro pixel art and choice-based adventures with a Cowboy Bebop / Firefly space bandit universe. Blogger Meg was looking at the game for her students, but drug use and other risky plot points keep this one solidly on the adult side of the gaming fence.

I’ve been playing tons of browser games to review for my students, which means spending a lot of time on sites like Kongregate. I keep getting Til Cows Tear Us Apart in my recommended games, which is probably because a retro space adventure about alien ladies is perfect for me. But I’m usually looking for games to share with my students, and one of the first player choices in Cows is whether or not to pretend to be hookers, and that’s followed by which kind of recreational drugs to buy, so even though I really wanted to see where it led, I realized this was probably not the best choice to introduce to my 10-year-olds.

Wah wah wah, I had to stop playing the game I wanted and go play a different game for work, wah wah, my life is so terribly hard. But I finally had the chance to play it at home, and this game did not disappoint.

Til Cows Tear Us Apart is about two girlfriends, Enora and Quanee, and their struggles to smuggle a payload of cows across the galaxy to Truxon, where cows are super valuable because the citizens really, really like cows. Ahem. (Hmm, that part’s probably not kid-friend either.)

The spacefaring duo need sneak to past alien customs, battle bounty hunters or try fast talking out of trouble. There are multiple paths with different endings, depending on player choices, or whether you use the FTL drive to warp out of or into trouble. Along the way, the cow counter on the top of the screen keeps track of how many cows have been sold, given as bribes, teleported away, or otherwise disappeared. In between conflicts, Quanee and Enora will flirt, discuss their heist, and listen to the radio, in a Cowgirl Bebop kind of way.

She seems nice. And pretty. Did Enora date her?

As I played, I unlocked achievements for reaching different story points, which made even goofy decisions (Should I land on this planet and try the peyote? Should I flirt my way out, or just nuke this guy?) seem more meaningful. Also, players can speed through sections in replays, which encouraged me to replay again and again, for different storylines that did not disappoint. So much blasting, romance, and listening to space music in this little game!

This is when Quanee and Enora tripped on peyote and saw the ghost of Chloridian General Clusterduck.

Til Cows Tear Us Apart was created by Pierre Corbinais for the Space Cowboy Game Jam. Even if you’re going to play the browser version on Kongregate, it’s worth checking out the game jam’s page to see how Til Cows Tear Us Apart ranked in essential space cowgirl categories, like Lonesomeness, The Void, and Romance. When I realized this was made in just a couple days, I started to notice that the images of Enora and Quanee at the ship’s console is the majority of the game’s art assets, but that’s ok, because the fun concept, the variety of music and the branching story options make it seem like a much more vivid gameworld.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/space-cowgirls-blasters-til-cows-tear-us-apart/feed/0Following the E3 Expo Press Conferenceshttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/preparing-for-the-e3-expo-press-conferences/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/preparing-for-the-e3-expo-press-conferences/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 14:07:23 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26786Todd runs down the major press conferences expected from the E3 Expo this week, and what we hope to learn from each one of them in what promises to be an exciting show.

It’s hard to believe that E3 Expo is this week. We have been keeping close tabs on how everything is going to turn out, and even with some announcements already being made. Yet many more are promised to be on the way. I’m curious to see how everything is going to turn out.

Of course the biggest moments of E3s as of late are the press conferences. This year is going to be no exception, as I want to go over the big events, what they have announced already, and what I hope to hear.

So without any further ado, let’s begin with the only conference SUNDAY night…

BETHESDA (9:30pm Eastern time)

Bethesda is going to be in a little bit of hot water coming into their first E3 Expo conference, as the recent console launch of Elder Scrolls Online has not gone real well. Yes, we have seen online exclusive games have issues at launch, but having their “megaserver” crash two days after the game came out is not what they needed at this time. A Fallout 4 announcement at E3 would help ease the burden, except for one problem…they already announced it last week. I’m hoping we get to see in-game footage on the consoles, and a promise to release by the end of the year. I don’t want to see it get pushed back to 2016.

I’m sure we will see more of the DOOM reboot that is in the works, and I hope they announce that the beta that was packed with the Wolfenstein: New Order preorders will be available that night of the event. We’ll have to see, as well as the possibility of a Dishonored 2.

Now for MONDAY…

MICROSOFT (12:30pm)

You all know me, being the so-called “Xbot” I am very interested in this one. With some of the hardware announcements already made (including a 1TB Xbox One console and a new controller featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a wireless PC adapter for X1 controllers) Microsoft is hyping their conference as nothing but first party exclusives. Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Forza Motorsport 6 are a definite, and I’m hoping we get to see more of Quantum Break, Crackdown and Scalebound, as well as Gears of War 4. (which unlike another “professional” site who decided ist’s not important for E3, we are very interested in seeing.) But what I’m really curious to see is if they will announce the rumored Joe Montana Football 16 that I mentioned a few months back. If they are able to announce it with a full NFL license (which I still have my doubts over) we might finally see the end of the Madden dominance once and for all.

Despite hearing the conference would be all first party, I do hope they do mention some third party elements (similar to what was done with Witcher 3 last year) especially to put the CoD Sony content rumors to rest. I have a feeling that is going to change. I’m also hoping that some of the games shown will showcase Windows 10 and DirectX 12 being run straight off a console.

ELECTRONIC ARTS (4pm)

Obviously Star Wars: Battlefront will be shown, but as someone who never cares for the Battlefield style games, it is not a title I’m interested in seeing. However, the recently announced Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is, and I really hope it gets shown in action, and not just a trailer. Of course we’ll see all the EA Sports titles, and I want to see how Madden will fare with the previously mentioned Montana 16 on the way. Mass Effect 4 will be worth seeing, as well as Titanfall 2.

Then there’s that Need for Speed release, which is rumored to be a return to the Underground series. We’ll have to see.

UBISOFT (6pm)

Assassin’s Creed: Victory is a no-brainer, and hopefully it will work out better than Unity did. But it’s Rainbow Six Siege that’s got all my attention. The unveil last year was amazing, and with a year in progress I have a feeling it’s going to be one of my highlights. Hopefully we’ll see more of The Division as well, and if the delay will make the game better than expected. We’ll probably see Watch Dogs 2 as well, but it would take a lot to really win me over after the bland first attempt.

SONY (9pm)

I’m going to be honest with you all, and yes I know I’m hearing cries of “Xbot” again, the PlayStation 4 really needs to do something to win me over. Early reports from Andrew House calling their first party lineup “sparse” has got me concerned. And no, remasters such as the Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection are not going to win me over. Same with indie games. I want to see more first party AAA games that show off what the PS4 can do. Yes, Uncharted 4 will be shown, but that’s another title coming out in 2016. I don’t want this to be Nintendo a few years back. I want now, to feel like my $400 was not put to waste!

I’m sure also we will get some showings involving Project Morpheus as well as PlayStation Vue and PlayStation Now.

And finally, TUESDAY…

SQUARE ENIX (12pm)

While Kingdom Hearts fans will be drooling over seeing KH3, it’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided that makes me want to see how they can improve on the amazing Human Revolution. That might be the only Square Enix title I’m curious about, and yes I know about Final Fantasy XV.

NINTENDO (12pm)

Word of warning, Nintendo, if I hear Iwata come out and say “please understand” one time, I will walk out and disavow anything you provide. I’ll even go as far as selling my Amiibo collection and everything along with it. With the Wii U falling behind in sales, they need to wow me, and I’m hoping that Star Fox Wii U will do that, as well as Mario Maker. However I’m sure Nintendo is going to spend a lot of time talking about their rumored NX console, in addition to all the upcoming 3DS titles.

But if you really want to win me back to your stable, Nintendo, I only have one request…F-Zero UX!

Aside from the big conferences there are a lot of other games I’m looking forward to seeing, including Rock Band 4, MGS V (even with all the trouble Konami suffered lately) and Elite: Dangerous. Let’s hope that this E3 proves to be quite memorable for all the good reasons.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/preparing-for-the-e3-expo-press-conferences/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Star Wars Republic Commandohttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-republic-commando/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-republic-commando/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 13:32:23 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26761Michael's back with one of the best FPS games to come from LucasArts for this week's Retro Game Friday! It's Star Wars Republic Commando!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s Star Wars Republic Commando!

Plot Synopsis: At the beginning of the game, Delta Squad is deployed from the RAS Prosecutor individually into the front lines of the battle of Geonosis. There, Delta RC-1138 (“Boss”, the player character) meets up with Deltas RC-1262, RC-1140, and RC-1207 (“Scorch”, “Fixer”, and “Sev” respectively).

Plot: It’s a Star Wars game, don’t expect masterpiece worthy writing, but for a Star Wars game it was pretty good.

Gameplay: The gameplay is a squad based shooter, like Mass Effect without the RPG elements, and it was pretty damn good. I enjoyed the gameplay quite a bit.

Art: Being developed for the Xbox it isn’t that amazing now, but back then it was pretty freaking amazing.

Music: Star Wars music, you either hate it or love it.

Overall: This is one of the better Star Wars games, so if you are a huge Star Wars fan, you may wish to play it.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-star-wars-republic-commando/feed/0Things You Will Never See at E3http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/things-you-will-never-see-at-e3/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/things-you-will-never-see-at-e3/#commentsThu, 11 Jun 2015 15:06:37 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26776It's time to contemplate the what ifs and what the effs of E3. Our intrepid editor, John "reckons he's seen it all at E3" Breeden joins James and Chella to discuss things they'd like to see at E3, but are unlikely to ever happen, ever.

(that’s James and Chella) are tackling this hot topic in the only way they know. It’s time to contemplate the what ifs and what the effs of E3.

Our intrepid editor, John “reckons he’s seen it all at E3″ Breeden joins James and Chella to discuss things they’d like to see at E3, but are unlikely to ever happen, ever. John throws down the gauntlet and our tossers accept. There’s only one way to find out what happens next…

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/things-you-will-never-see-at-e3/feed/0Continued Sleuthing with Life is Strange Episode 3, Part Twohttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/continued-sleuthing-with-life-is-strange-episode-3-part-two/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/continued-sleuthing-with-life-is-strange-episode-3-part-two/#commentsThu, 11 Jun 2015 14:16:34 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26743Chella continues to investigate the mysteries surrounding Life is Strange Episode 2, in part two of her Let's Play adventure. What dark secrets will she uncover this time around?

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/continued-sleuthing-with-life-is-strange-episode-3-part-two/feed/0TNT: Overlord Volume 02 by Maruyama Kuganehttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-overlord-volume-02-by-maruyama-kugane/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-overlord-volume-02-by-maruyama-kugane/#commentsThu, 11 Jun 2015 13:32:36 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26747Michael's back with the second volume of a series he enjoys very much for this week's Translation Necessary Thursday. It's time to bow down to Overlord Volume 02 by Maruyama Kugane! Spoilers for the first volume inside.

This week for Tranlsation Necessary Thursday I’m covering the second volume of a series I covered a while ago. It’s Overlord Volume 02 by Maruyama Kugane!

Plot Synopsis: Having saved Carne Village and established his reputation as a Hero, Ainz decides to head to the nearest City to become an adventurer and raise his reputation that way. Of course he’s followed by one of his servants, the Battle Maid Narberal Gamma, and is disguised as to not frighten the citizens. What will his plans in this city mean for the Great Tomb of Nazarick?

Plot: I really do enjoy this volume as it establishes Ainz and all of the NPC’s turned real beings actual power against the rest of this new world they’ve found themselves in. I won’t say anymore, because it’ll spoil it, but it’s quite a good volume.

Characters: Ainz is probably my favorite character in this volume, although Demiurge and Albedo are up there. Hamusuke is just interesting.

Artwork: The artwork is good, though I only had poor scans, so I couldn’t really enjoy it. Oh well, I’ll be interested to see what they do for the Anime.

Overall: This is a worthy sequel volume and further builds upon the world. Well worth the read.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-overlord-volume-02-by-maruyama-kugane/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: A New Venture!http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-new-venture/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-new-venture/#commentsWed, 10 Jun 2015 13:32:22 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26729Michael's got some good news for all those audiophiles out there in this week's Book Series Wednesday. It's all about his New Venture!

Recently I’ve been reviewing books for Audible Studios and posting them to the book review section of Game Industry News, and I’ve got some great news for this week’s Book Series Wednesday. It’s all about A New Venture!

I recently contacted Graphic Audio, a newer Audiobook studio that does wonders with Audiobooks and makes them truly wonderful for book loves and audiophiles alike. I’ve mentioned them before, but now I’ll be reviewing both Audible Studios productions and Graphic Audio productions. The current plan is to alternate between the two for reviewing purposes.

While Graphic Audio has a much slimmer selection of books and they are slightly pricier, considering the work that goes into them it’s well worth the money. So give them a look, or wait for my reviews to pop up to see if they are up to snuff *Spoiler* They are*End Spoilers*. Either way keep an eye out on GIN’s front page for my audiobook reviews in the future and I hope everyone enjoys.

That’s it for this week’s Book Series Wednesday, next week I’ll be going back to the Sparhawk series.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-a-new-venture/feed/0Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Marries Action And Storyhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/xenoblade-chronicles-3d-marries-action-and-story/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/xenoblade-chronicles-3d-marries-action-and-story/#commentsWed, 10 Jun 2015 13:05:51 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26755The focus of the Japanese RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is heavily on the story, so be prepared for some really intense moments as you adventure with this excellent Nintendo 3DS title.

Long ago, there was a world covered in endless sea. Upon these waters were two giants, titanic in stature, who clashed against one another with enough force to cause the surface waters to swell. The Bionis and Mechonis, respective creators of biological and mechanical life on this world, fought until each side caused severe damage to the other- enough so that each god lay dead, the blade of the Mechonis forever stuck in the abdomen of the Bionis. Of course, even the circle of life remains unbroken in this strange world, as new life continued to spring up on the surfaces of these corpses.

Kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy.

Despite being largely uninvolved in the conflicts of the titans, the respective peoples of the Bionis and Mechonis could not let go of the ancient grudges their progenitors shared. The Mechon, twisted, seemingly unfeeling machine beings of the Mechonis, began to wage war with the human-like Homs of the Bionis who had all but lost the fight. A ray of hope was needed to reignite the will to survive among the colonies of the Bionis… Instead, they got Shulk. Xenoblade Chronicles, also known as, “The game that guy from Smash Bros came from” is a Japanese role-playing game in which it is easy to spend more than just a little investment of time. The story is a tremendous focus of the game, as a result, sending you on an adventure with Shulk and his compatriots. Shulk isn’t exactly your typical hero: He collects garbage from fallen Mechon to fashion simple weapons, performs errands for people around his colony (you’ll get to know these tasks more, later, as side quests) and he would pretty much just prefer to research technology or mysteries such as the Monado, rather than go and wage war against an army of sentient Roombas.

The story of Xenoblade begins with a war won at an extremely steep cost: A soldier named Dunban, wielding a weapon called the Monado that is capable of slicing through Mechon with ease, engages hundreds, if not thousands, of enemy forces. The end result of the battle is that the Mechon are seemingly wiped out, while only a handful of Homs came back from the battle as survivors. The terrifying power of the Monado took a severe toll on the health of its wielder, all but immobilizing one of his arms and threatening to kill him should he ever try to use it, resulting in Shulk being its wielder when the Mechon turns out to be significantly less eradicated than the Homs thought when a giant faced Mechon appears to attack the home colony of Shulk and friends. A few visions, dead colonists and a destroyed city later results in Shulk leaving his destroyed home town to fulfill his revenge against the faced Mechon that took away people close to him, getting caught up in something much larger along the way. The story of Xenoblade is a very familiar one but epic in presentation, seemingly fitting for an adventure that takes place across the bodies of dead gods. The journey of Shulk and company is a long and dramatic one, filled with twists and a sense of hopelessness as characters from all sides fight and die along the way. The player’s party will band together with a strong sense of camaraderie that their development and contributions to the plot will only serve to further engross a player as they fight to survive. On the subject of fighting, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D features a very interesting real time battle system. Enemies are visible on the surface of the world or in dungeons and may ignore players or attack on sight or upon hearing you. Once combat has been engaged, players can lock on to an enemy and move around them with their currently selected character while the AI controls the other two active in the battle party. When near enemies, characters will do a weak, basic auto attack at regular intervals but real damage is produced through careful management of characters arts, each with their own cooldown. Some require certain positioning to be most effective, such as being behind a foe when using Shulk’s Back Slash, while others inflict status ailments or conditions like knocking foes over so additional damage can be dealt.

Careful. Titans could be anywhere.

There are further implementations in the battle system, like the party gauge, tension, affinity cries, and the visions that Shulk has during cut-scenes are worked into the battle system as well. Enemies charging up to do a lethal attack may actually cause Shulk to have a vision of the attack- the screen will turn blue and it will show the target of the attack get slaughtered by it, then returns to the present where you can try to change what is about to happen by healing, buffing or warning the targeted character. The party gauge can be used for powerful Chain Attacks that has each party member turn to your target and beat it down with arts, in sequence, while high tension can lend more hits to a Chain Attack as well as buff critical hit rate and damage. There’s actually quite a good bit to the battle system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, so those who take time to understand the system will be well rewarded when approaching the game’s more difficult challenges. Each character in Xenoblade approaches combat in a different manner, as well, which becomes more apparent the further into the game you get and the more arts you unlock and upgrade. A mage character that joins later in the game has several arts that each have minor benefits, such as healing the team, while active but can deal damage by discharging them and removing the beneficial effects. Using this character yourself, chaining multiple spells in succession and releasing them all at once can help you deal major damage and keep your party protected or healed. Each character has their own talent art as well as their own selection of arts and skills, the latter of which is even deepened by the Skill Link system featured in the game that allows players to share one character’s skills with another. Customization isn’t just in regards to skill links or upgrading the characters arts, either. All equipment in Xenoblade Chronicles results in a visual change in the character model, either being a palette swap or a whole new outfit or weapon design. Pieces of equipment may also have slots for gems players may find throughout the adventure or may create themselves, which gives players even more decision making to do when it comes to selecting weapons and armor. Losing out on EXP +200% or Lightning Damage +100% for a weapon with higher raw damage but no slots and vice versa is something players will have to think about a lot.

The soundtrack for Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is superb, and while the music is not only sound in composition it is also utilized well during cutscenes to enhance the quality of event sequences by a significant margin. Noteworthy tracks are plentiful and the musical selection is always spot-on in lengthy scenes in which huge events are occurring: One particular track called Engage the Enemy is played early on in the game as a single character struggles helplessly against a giant foe to prevent it from absolutely crushing your current party, and the music helps a lot in pulling together the dialogue and action occurring on screen. Xenoblade is an extremely dramatic game and the slightest thing being off could damage how the audience receives a whole revelation, but the sound as a whole lends itself so well to wrapping up events that it becomes an even greater strength for the game’s storytelling.

Choose your weapon! Or party? Heck, just choose everything.

Of course, your mileage may vary when it comes to cut-scenes. As mentioned before, they’re lengthy- upwards of ten minutes or seemingly longer in some cases, which can frustrate players who would just rather play. While on that subject, the in-game graphic engine is what renders the cutscenes, meaning that the less-than-stellar graphics show through quite a bit. Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii was not exactly a graphical powerhouse: While the draw distance on that machine was impressive, texture and model fidelity suffered a fair deal as a result. Much the same can be said of the 3DS version of the game- The environments and art direction still shine through as the colorful and exotic landscapes maintain their gargantuan size, practically demanding players explore them, but there is always a noticable little texture pop up here or extremely jagged surface there.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is not the prettiest game on the 3DS, but it is easily one of the largest adventures for the handheld. Another sacrifice that had to be made for the 3DS game was the loss of dual audio, because while the English voice track is of decent quality and the music plentiful, the Japanese voices are lost to the ether, no doubt to make up for other components taking up more and more room on the 3DS game card. Those who dislike English dubs or English accents (for some reason or another) may lament the loss of dual audio in this release.

To summarize: Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is a very lengthy adventure, first playthroughs taking some people upwards of 80-120 hours depending on how many side quests you want to complete, while full completionists may be looking at upwards of 200 hours. The game sounds fantastic, looks slightly below average and is missing the Japanese dialogue from its prior Wii release. The story does have cutscenes that are interminable in length to some, and while this wouldn’t surprise most fans of games like Final Fantasy X or Metal Gear Solid 4, it may bothersome. The combat is surprisingly in depth, only getting better as the player progresses, giving players a large number of options while not simultaneously punishing players for using the freedom given to experiment with different party setups.

All in all, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is a fantastic addition to the Nintendo 3DS library.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/xenoblade-chronicles-3d-marries-action-and-story/feed/0Let’s Play Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theoryhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-life-is-strange-episode-3-chaos-theory/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-life-is-strange-episode-3-chaos-theory/#commentsTue, 09 Jun 2015 15:11:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26671Join Chella as she braves the increasingly scary world of the Life is Strange series as she tackles Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory. Be ready for some serious skullduggery this week.

Join Chella as she delves deeper into the world of the Life is Strange with Episode 3: Chaos Theory. In part one of this Let’s Play, Max and Chloe break into the school to investigate. Grab a cell phone flashlight and join us!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-life-is-strange-episode-3-chaos-theory/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: The Pre-Expansion Slumphttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-the-pre-expansion-slump/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-the-pre-expansion-slump/#commentsTue, 09 Jun 2015 13:32:37 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26725Michael's here to talk about the things that cause the biggest loss in players prior to an expansion in MMOs for this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about that The Pre-Expansion Slump!

This week on Video Game Tuesday I’m talking about something that bugs me incessantly about MMOs. It’s that freaking Pre-Expansion Slump!

What is the Pre-Expansion Slump: It’s the time between the last content patch and the release of an expansion. World of Warcraft is notoriously bad about this and had one go on for nearly two years after the release of the Icecrown Citadel Raid patch, 3.3 and the next expansion Cataclysm. Yes there was an additional “Raid” consisting of one boss that no one enjoyed doing somewhere in between that and Cataclysm, but it didn’t really add anything other than that.

Why is it bad?: Well if you have a long time slump, you are going to lose players at an alarmingly fast and high rate. So it’s always a race against the clock to make the new content in that expansion. I’ve known many players who just flat out quit WoW because they were done waiting and when the expansion finally released, they didn’t care anymore.

How do you combat it?: It’s really hard to do, but I think the way Square Enix has handled the slump between Patch 2.55 and Heavensward is the correct method. Keep things spiced up for as long as possible by spreading story content out over the course of multiple smaller patches.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday, because it feels like it’s 100 degrees inside the room I’m currently typing in and I really want to get out of here.

]]>Danish indie developer Logic Artists today announced they have begun development on the second installment in their historical RPG Expeditions series, Expeditions: Viking. Set in the late 700’s A.D., Expeditions: Viking is a tactical RPG where players inherit the leadership of their clan and are charged with elevating their clan’s status by adventuring in far away lands and defending their home from their enemies both foreign and domestic.

With the announcement, Logic Artists has also revealed some details about the game. Building from the original designs of their first game Expeditions: Conquistador the Logic Artists team have also taken player suggestions to heart. Announcing that the Expeditions Sequel will have an upgradable player village which they must return to between expeditionary raids to build and protect. Over-land travel and combat will now exist as part of the same layer. Transitioning from unrestricted exploratory movement to turn-based combat smoothly. Additionally players will see their player character manifested in the game world not just as a Role-playing character for conversations and decision making (As was in the first of the Expeditions Series), but also visibly represented in travel and combat as a custom character.

“We are very excited to return to our roots in the RPG genre, and as developers from the Nordic region, to make a game in a setting that is a lot closer to home than anything we’ve done before”, said Jonas Wæver, Creative Director for Logic Artists.“We’re improving on the Conquistador formula with deeper and more dynamic systems for character progression, combat abilities, role-playing, choice and consequence, and expanding on our favorite part of Conquistador: camping and wilderness survival”.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/26734/feed/0Getting Wild With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunthttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/getting-wild-with-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/getting-wild-with-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 13:35:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26631The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best RPG video games to come out in years. Expect to be lost for hours on end as you immerse yourself in this beautifully detailed and deadly world. We may even have an early candidate for Game of the Year.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been living in its world since.

There’s a fun story about how I came to acquire my copy of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I was in the market for a new graphics card and I saw a deal online that included a digital download of the game. I figured I might as well take advantage of this offer. After all, who turns down a free game that comes with something they were going to buy anyway, right?

This is another one of those “Should I get involved?” situations.

If you’ve been keeping up with the goings-on here at GiN, you probably already know that I’ve make it my goal to clear a considerable amount of games from my backlog this year. In that backlog of games is The Watcher 1&2. Unfortunately, I haven’t beat either of them yet. I’ve put right around 10 hours into the first game and none into the second. This means I’m going into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with little knowledge of the series.

The first disadvantage I’ve run into jumping into this game series on the third installment is that I knew little to nothing about these characters or their backstories. This meant that I had to clue together a lot of pieces from the previous games’ stories to understand what was going on here. It wasn’t anything too difficult, but I felt I would have appreciated the game a little more had I completed the first and second games.

Towns and cities look very different during the day and night, with different enemies and potential allies to find or fight.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt puts players in the shoes of Geralt of Rivia as he searches for his missing lover Yennefer. A short way into the game players learn that Ciri, Geralt’s ward that went missing several years ago, is being pursued by The Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt is a ghostly army that has started ransacking its way through this world in its efforts to find Ciri. Geralt agrees to track Ciri down before The Wild Hunt can and the real game begins.

What I really love about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is how much detail it gives to its story. Along with the main goal of tracking down Ciri, players also have to deal with an ongoing war that has consumed the land. This war will put Geralt in direct conflict with both sides and it’s the player’s choice on who to throw their cards in with. What’s really great is that many of these decisions are presented in a negative and positive light. However, there is no karma system that affects how a player is viewed because of their actions. This means that players have a lot more free choice during every conversation without having to worry how the world will see them.

Fighting a monster like this would likely require a lot of in-game research to tip the odds in your favor.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s world is massive. Players that are looking for an open-world game that will take up hours upon hours of their lives need look no further. The main story will take players across the world, but there are so many other areas to see where side quests are available. I haven’t done anywhere near all the side quests in the game, but I’ve still put a lot of time into it outside of the main story.

One of coolest features of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is taking on jobs to hunt large monsters. The game does a good job at setting players up with how the system works by having them track, hunt, trap and kill a griffin that is pestering a small village at the start of the game. From here, the large hunts become even more fun as the game lets go of the player’s hand completely.

My first large hunt after the griffin was to track down a man’s missing wife. Along the way, I discovered a small amount of blood. Using my Witcher senses, I tracked the blood down to a general area where I believed more clues would be. It was here that I found the man’s wife torn to pieces. I inspected her body and came to the conclusion that it was the work of a werewolf.

Hmm. This is one of those out of the way locations that you can come across if you just wander around the massive world. Is this a benign cabin, or the home of something sinister?

Here’s where things get really fun. I tracked the werewolf down with the help of its scent that I got from some fur stuck on a tree limb. After going deep into the woods, I discovered a small cabin that was its den. Under the cabin was a large cave where the werewolf rested. Knowing I needed to take care of the werewolf, I meditated until night. This is when I got my backside handed to me. I thought I could take this guy on with little to no preparation, but I was wrong. I died several times before I finally admitted I couldn’t handle the quest.

After tasting defeat for the umpteenth time, I decided I should head back to the local village and see what I could learn about werewolves. I read a book to learn that they are weak to fire, a couple types of bombs and a cursed oil that I could coat my blade with. After scouring the countryside while completing other quests, I found the ingredients I needed to make the cursed oil and bombs. This preparation made all the difference and I was able to defeat my foe. All this work to take down a werewolf left me with a huge feeling of satisfaction. One that I don’t believe I’ve felt in other open-world RPGs before, such as Skyrim. Todd actually has a wonderful piece that goes into detail over the differences in these two games.

Combat in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is fluid. Players will really have to master the ability to parry and attack at the right times if they want to progress in the game. If they don’t, even a group of low level enemies could gang up on them and do some serious damage. The various spells available in the game also require players to know their enemies to be used effectively. Experimenting will help in battle as some enemies are only weak to certain types of magic and attacks.

Flying enemies can seen very tough at first, but many are extremely vulnerable against certain types of magic which can bring them low fast.

Seeing as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an RPG, it only makes sense that players would earn expereince when they defeat enemies. Collect enough and Geralt will level up. Wild Hunt has a unique level up system. Rather than force players to make permanent choices on how their character will play, this game lets them adjust their builds at any time. There are still skills that players put points into, but they have to be equipped for them to go into effect. Players are limited to the number of skills they can have quipped based on their level. This means that some fights may be easier won with some adjusting to their characters’ skills, instead of just their armor and weapons.

The graphics in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are amazing. Each character has a lot of detail in them and its great to see them moving about the world as if it’s actually real. Faces are easily one of the most detailed parts of the game and this exta care allows players to really see expressions. This is good since a large portion of the game will have players talking to other characters as they collect information about Ciri, their jobs or the general happenings in the local village.

The world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also great. I’ve already mentioned that it’s huge and it also has a lot of life to it. It’s great to be riding through the forest on Roach, my faithful stead, and see small animals, such as rabbits, moving out of my way. This world is also filled with interesting locations that can lead to fights, adventures and unique dialog options.

The music in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt really stands out. Travelling around the world offers players soft, comforting music for their journey and jumping into a battle will result in a clear, but not cutoff, transition to epic battle music.

Use the steel sword against humans and the silver blade against monsters. You can upgrade or craft both of them as you adventure to become more and more deadly.

The voice acting in the game is also great. My only qualm is with Geralt. His raspy monotone voice can become a real bore after spending so long in the game. However, I will say that its better than it was in the first Witcher. Other characters are voiced very well and I’ve got no real complaints about them.

The sound effects for everything happening in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are great. Nothing comes across as louder or quieter than it should. Every action has an accompanying sound effect and they all feel right. Small details like this really help move a game forward without distracting the player.

Unfortunately, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t perfect. There are some graphical glitches in the game that can result in some funny, but atmosphere breaking, experiences. I personally had one where my sword wouldn’t draw from my back and I ended up beating enemies with an invisible one. Big incidents like these aren’t all too common, but other smaller ones can also pop up to annoy players and make them lose their immersion in the world.

Graphical glitches aren’t the worst things I’ve run into. I also had the game freeze on me a few times while playing. This is always a real mood killer and immediately throws me out of the game’s world, literally. I also noticed some frame rate issues when HairWorks is enabled. Despite having plenty of power to run the game at its recommended settings and then some, the frame rate would still drop when too many characters or creatures were on screen at once.

The world of The Witcher 3 is huge, so get out there an explore. You never know what you will find just around that next corner.

Overall, I’m loving The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game offers players a huge open-world experience that is sure to suck them in and not let them out until hours later. The story is great and the grittiness of the world is a fresh breath from the typical fantasy setting. It’s beautiful, sounds great and is worth the money. Even if I hadn’t got this game for free with my new graphics card, I’m sure I’d be adding it to my shelf shortly after.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/getting-wild-with-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/feed/0Manga Monday: Noragami by Adachitokahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-noragami-by-adachitoka/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-noragami-by-adachitoka/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 13:32:11 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26711Michael's back with a fairly recent series that he enjoyed a lot for this week's Manga Monday. It's time to go astray with Noragami by Adachitoka!

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering a series I started reading last year. It’s Noragami by Adachitoka!

Plot Synopsis: Hiyori Iki was a regular middle school student until she was hit by a bus while trying to save the life of a jersey-wearing person named Yato.

Plot: The plot seems pretty comical, but it gets really serious fairly quickly and I do enjoy the plot quite a bit. Is it childish at times? Yes, but that’s part of it’s charm.

Characters: Hiyori and Yato are the leads and they are pretty good leads, but it’s not just the leads who drive this story well. It’s the entire cast and while there is a throwaway character introduced early in the series, it’s not that much of a problem as it only happens once and the rest of the cast is quite good. Bishamonten in particular is quite good as are her Shinki. Yukine is also pretty good, but he got on my nerves for quite a few chapters.

Art: The art is great, and I enjoy it quite a bit as it’s detailed enough during the action scenes that it does the plot justice.

Overall: This is a good series it may not be a must read, but it’s pretty close.

For those who like: Action, Great Plots, Excellent Cast of Characters, Fantastic Artwork, Urban Fantasy, Japanese Mythology.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-noragami-by-adachitoka/feed/0Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist Available This Summerhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/yu-gi-oh-legacy-of-the-duelist-available-this-summer/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/yu-gi-oh-legacy-of-the-duelist-available-this-summer/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 13:05:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26731Konami brings the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise to the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on the PlayStation Network and the Xbox One.

]]>Attention Duelists! Ready for a challenge? Enter the Duelist Simulator to take your place among the finest game players ever with Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist! For the first time, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Konami brings the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise to the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on the PlayStation Network and the Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, for a next-generation experience that’s not to be missed! Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist will arrive early summer to take fans on a nostalgic journey to the memorable world of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV animated series.

Players from around the world have been invited to take part in an elite Dueling program that simulates the best Duels from every era of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Gamers can replay actual events in the Yu-Gi-Oh! timeline, from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series up to Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, featuring the same storylines, characters, and Decks in a brand-new Story Campaign. Duelists will also battle against characters from the newest generation of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, with even more Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Duels to be included later as add-on content.

Newcomers to the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game can hone their skills courtesy of the game’s comprehensive tutorial, while experienced players can dive into the rich Story Campaign and Duel with more than 90 characters in hundreds of matches, and even compete in new Battle Pack Sealed Deck and Draft play with other Duelists online.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist will be available early summer on the PS4 system on the PlayStation Network and available for purchase digitally on Xbox One for $19.99. Add-on content is also available for purchase digitally for $4.99 each.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/yu-gi-oh-legacy-of-the-duelist-available-this-summer/feed/0Anime Sunday: The Rolling Girlshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-the-rolling-girls/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-the-rolling-girls/#commentsSun, 07 Jun 2015 13:32:14 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26702Michael's back with another excellent series for this week's Anime Sunday! It's time to rock with The Rolling Girls!

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a series that I watched recently and enjoyed quite immensely. It’s The Rolling Girls!

Plot Synopsis: 10 years after the end of the “Great Tokyo War” that rocked Japan, most of the country’s political and economic elites mysteriously vanished. As a result, the country split up into the original 10 prefectures that soon became independent city-states that competed with each other. Many vigilantes who fought in the aforementioned war became hired as the “Best” (mosa), representing their prefectures in territorial disputes. Their supporters, the “Rest” (mob), work to support them while maintaining the peace within their respective prefectures.

After a prolonged battle leads her friend to become seriously injured, a rookie Rest named Nozomi decides to travel around Japan on her motorcycle with her new friends, fulfilling requests for Maccha Green while they seek to grow stronger and search for special heart-shaped jewels.

Plot: The plot’s not serious, but that’s okay this is a feel good series and it really doesn’t have to have a super serious plot to do what it’s supposed to do. I do enjoy the plot, as it does have a few plot twists, but for the most part I just like the warm fuzzies it gave me.

Characters: Nozomi is pretty headstrong for a girl who goes up against super powered Best’s, but that’s okay because she has Gumption and is a pretty good main lead. The rest of the cast is also great, though I connect with Ai the most personally.

Art: The artwork for this series is just great, and is one of two reasons I started watching it in the first place. It’s flashy and detailed and just all around awesome.

Music: The other reason I started watching the series is the musical track because it’s just as great as the artwork.

Overall: If you want a feel good series that has a less than serious plot, watch this.

For those who like: Feel Good Series, Great Cast of Characters, Good Plot, Fantastic Artwork, Excellent Music.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but how can you hate all that together?

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-the-rolling-girls/feed/0Fallout 4 Has an Exciting New Plothttp://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fallout-4-bethesda/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fallout-4-bethesda/#commentsSun, 07 Jun 2015 13:10:12 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26718The official Fallout 4 trailer has been released and something about the game seems familiar, but we can't quite put our finger on it.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/fallout-4-bethesda/feed/0Neverwinter: Rise Of Tiamat Comes To Xbox Onehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/neverwinter-rise-of-tiamat-comes-to-xbox-one/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/neverwinter-rise-of-tiamat-comes-to-xbox-one/#commentsSun, 07 Jun 2015 13:05:59 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26722Perfect World Entertainment recently announced Neverwinter: Rise of Tiamat will be launching on Xbox One in June.

]]>Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of widely-acclaimed free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Studios recently announced Neverwinter: Rise of Tiamat will be launching on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, in June. Neverwinter: Rise of Tiamat brings a 25-person fight against the iconic Dragon Queen – Tiamat – and a brand-new adventure zone to the top free-to-play game on Xbox One of 2015 at no additional cost. This is the first of five free expansions, which will source material from popular Dungeons & Dragons’ storylines including Elemental Evil, coming to the Xbox One version in 2015.

Neverwinter: Rise of Tiamat follows the events of the currently available Neverwinter: Tyranny of Dragons campaign and the upcoming Siege of Neverwinter event, which will be available for Xbox One on June 4. As the Cult of the Dragon looks to resurrect the five-headed draconic goddess Tiamat from the Nine Hells, adventurers must band together to prevent the catastrophic takeover of the city of Neverwinter. The upcoming expansion will also introduce the Well of Dragons – the legendary graveyard of dragons – where players will take part in a variety of new heroic encounters as they work towards completing the final chapters of the Tyranny of Dragons campaign.

Neverwinter on Xbox One brings a full-fledged roleplaying experience with a living social world allowing players to experience Dungeons & Dragons adventures with their friends. Neverwinter on Xbox One also utilizes console features including friends list integration and optimized controls to easily transition the MMORPG experience from PC to console.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG that features fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding countryside, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is currently available on PC and digitally for Xbox One, available free-to-play with Gold* from the Xbox Games Store.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/neverwinter-rise-of-tiamat-comes-to-xbox-one/feed/0Spending Some Time With Remove the Dragon, Wizard!http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/spending-some-time-with-remove-the-dragon-wizard/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/time-waster/spending-some-time-with-remove-the-dragon-wizard/#commentsSat, 06 Jun 2015 13:37:16 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26581This week Billy plays Remove the Dragon, Wizard!, which is a small game with a neat idea, but can it stand on just that or does it need something more?

These last couple of weeks I’ve been perusing the web for browser games. I really enjoy these types of games and they’re what the Time Waster was originally founded on. However, over time, this piece has turned into a place to talk about indie games that aren’t in the browser format.

Some readers have also likely noticed that I’ve started doing Let’s Plays for Time Wasters. I really like the idea behind it because I’m a huge fan of Let’s Plays and other YouTube game content. Unfortunately, most browser games aren’t long enough to make a good Let’s Play of. This has been the case these last couple of weeks.

I know that all was a bit long winded, but I wanted to explain why there haven’t been as many Let’s Plays while still assuring readers that browser games won’t be getting the boot. So without further ado, here is this week’s Time Waster!

This is a neat twist, but the game needs more than that.

This week I played Remove the Dragon, Wizard! It’s a small browser game that puts players in the control of a local kingdom’s wizard. The king has tasked this wizard with killing a dragon that is plaguing the kingdom.

Remove the Dragon, Wizard! is a top-down adventure game that has a similar feel to a Zelda game. Players have to adventure through the forest to get their magic wand before they can take on the dragon. Why did the wizard leave his wand in the forest? I have no idea, but that’s what you have to do.

Getting to the magic wand is when Remove the Dragon, Wizard! gets interesting. When the wand is reached, players are transported to a new area where they have to move through the user interface of Stencyl, a type of game creation software. This fourth-wall breaking is really neat and how the wizard solves the dragon problem in the end is also clever.

When it comes to graphics, Remove the Dragon, Wizard! is lacking. The actual forest and characters in the game looks like it was made in paint and everything else is just screenshots of a Stencyl work space. There are also no animations in the game. The wizard is content to just glide across the ground rather than move his feet.

Remove the Dragon, Wizard! does have some solid music. It’s action packed and full of energy. One small part that I appreciated was the music becoming quieter as the player moved away from the game and into the Stencyl section of the game.

Overall, Remove the Dragon, Wizard! has some clever ideas behind it, but there was obviously a lack of effort put into these ideas. This could’ve been a much more impressive game that went further with its comedy and fourth-wall breaks, but it isn’t.

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series I read a couple years ago and kept meaning to cover, but remembered until after I had published a column. It’s Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie, or The Small Orange Roofed Home in English, by Yamahana Noriyuki.

Plot Synopsis: A man comes home one day to have his wife give him divorce papers. A woman comes home to her apartment one day to find a woman she doesn’t know wrapped in a towel coming out of the shower. They both get conned by the same real estate conman on the same house, a 4LDK. So now the man, his two sons, the woman, and her two daughters live in the same house.

Plot: The plot is pretty great, and while it’s got some serious moments, it’s pretty much about the man and woman falling in love with each other over the course of the series and their families coming to love one another. Is it cliched? Probably, but that doesn’t mean that this series is bad. This is one of my favorite feel good series I’ve ever read, and is easily a must read.

Characters: Shou and Natchi are amazing leads and their kids are adorable. The rest of the cast is great, and even though this is a rather short series, it’s still got one of the more well rounded casts I’ve ever read.

Art: The art is very simple, but still manages to be excellent enough to be published by Shueisha of Shonen Jump fame.

Overall: This is well worth your time to read, as it’s one of the best series I’ve read.

For those who like: Romance, Slice of Life, Excellent Plot, Drama, Fantastic Artwork, Great Cast of Characters.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-orange-yane-no-chiisana-ie-by-yamahana-noriyuki/feed/0Trailer: Resident Evil 0 Confirmedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-resident-evil-0-confirmed/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-resident-evil-0-confirmed/#commentsSat, 06 Jun 2015 13:05:40 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26707Earlier yesterday at an event in Japan, Capcom confirmed Resident Evil 0, a remastered version of the popular prequel to the original title in the Resident Evil series, is currently in development.

]]>Earlier yesterday at an event in Japan, Capcom confirmed Resident Evil 0, a remastered version of the popular prequel to the original title in the Resident Evil series, is currently in development. The game is planned for release on PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in early 2016.

Original Resident Evil 0 Director Koji Oda and additional staff are returning for the development of this new remastered version. Capcom will be sharing more information on the title in the coming weeks.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-resident-evil-0-confirmed/feed/0Gunnar Releases New Heroes of the Storm Sunglasseshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/gunnar-releases-new-heroes-of-the-storm-sunglasses/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/gunnar-releases-new-heroes-of-the-storm-sunglasses/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 18:14:48 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26688GUNNAR, the creator and world’s leading manufacturer of computer and gaming eyewear, today unleashed two new styles inspired by Blizzard Entertainment’s free-to-play online team brawler, Heroes of the Storm. GUNNAR’s new Heroes of the Storm Strike and Siege models are forged with the same commitment to peerless quality, competitive design, and stylish fun that drive each of Blizzard’s unique creations. Wearers can personalize their frames at launch with up to 20 interchangeable Heroes of the Storm temple sleeves (sold separately), adorned with beautiful artwork featuring some of Blizzard’s most iconic characters. Created from feather-light, high-tensile steel for an easy fit … Continue reading Gunnar Releases New Heroes of the Storm Sunglasses→

GUNNAR, the creator and world’s leading manufacturer of computer and gaming eyewear, today unleashed two new styles inspired by Blizzard Entertainment’s free-to-play online team brawler, Heroes of the Storm. GUNNAR’s new Heroes of the Storm Strike and Siege models are forged with the same commitment to peerless quality, competitive design, and stylish fun that drive each of Blizzard’s unique creations. Wearers can personalize their frames at launch with up to 20 interchangeable Heroes of the Storm temple sleeves (sold separately), adorned with beautiful artwork featuring some of Blizzard’s most iconic characters.

Created from feather-light, high-tensile steel for an easy fit with incredible durability, the Strike and Siege are built with the same one-piece front construction and fastener-free hinge design to deliver a smooth, sleek look and feel. Their gently curved, ultra-slim temples are structured to conform flexibly to a variety of head shapes without sacrificing stability, bolstered by adjustable silicone nose pads for extra grip. The Siege also features a wider fit than the Strike to comfortably accommodate larger game faces.

GUNNAR’s proprietary and precision-engineered lenses reduce the harsh glare and eye fatigue associated with computing and gaming to keep players feeling energized and alert when the action demands it most. Both the Strike and the Siege offer a wide-format lens shape for crisp, panoramic viewing of high-resolution displays.

Today’s announcement coincides with the official global release of Heroes of the Storm, which is now available to play for free on Windows and Mac. Heroes of the Storm brings together a diverse cast of iconic characters from Blizzard’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes, and challenges them to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles. Players can choose from more than 35 Blizzard heroes and customize them to suit their play style, and then team up with friends to fight across seven dynamic Battlegrounds—with more heroes and Battlegrounds on the way. For more information or to download the game free, visit www.heroesofthestorm.com.

The Heroes of the Storm Strike and Siege are now available in either Onyx Fire or Onyx Ice color schemes directly through GUNNAR’s website for $79.99 each. Individual swappable Heroes of the Storm temple sleeves can be purchased from GUNNAR online for $14.99 each.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/gunnar-releases-new-heroes-of-the-storm-sunglasses/feed/0PlanetSide 2 Launching on PlayStation 4 on June 23http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/planetside-2-launching-on-playstation-4-on-june-23/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/planetside-2-launching-on-playstation-4-on-june-23/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 17:04:21 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26685Daybreak Game Company LLC today announced that the critically-acclaimed massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS), PlanetSide 2 will be available on the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe on June 23, 2015. The MMOFPS, which began Closed Beta testing in January 2015, will be available on the PS4 as a free-to-play downloadable title with no PlayStation Plus membership requirement. Already available on the PC, PlanetSide 2 will be the only PlayStation 4 game that allows massive communities of players to come together to simultaneously experience enormous battles, giving players a truly massive-world combat experience. PlanetSide 2 is currently in … Continue reading PlanetSide 2 Launching on PlayStation 4 on June 23→

Daybreak Game Company LLC today announced that the critically-acclaimed massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS), PlanetSide 2 will be available on the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe on June 23, 2015.

The MMOFPS, which began Closed Beta testing in January 2015, will be available on the PS4 as a free-to-play downloadable title with no PlayStation Plus membership requirement. Already available on the PC, PlanetSide 2 will be the only PlayStation 4 game that allows massive communities of players to come together to simultaneously experience enormous battles, giving players a truly massive-world combat experience.

PlanetSide 2 is currently in Closed Beta and will be available on the PS4 in June with optional in-game purchases via digital download. For players who are interested in an enhanced PlanetSide 2 experience, a Membership option will be available for USD $14.99/month and will include a monthly Battle Cash grant, increased experience, cert, and resource gains, discounts in the marketplace, exclusive promotions, and access to a monthly double experience weekend event. Additionally, Members will receive priority log-in queue access.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/planetside-2-launching-on-playstation-4-on-june-23/feed/0Primal Carnage Gets Dino-mite New Updatehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/primal-carnage-gets-dino-mite-new-update/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/primal-carnage-gets-dino-mite-new-update/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 16:03:38 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26682Circle 5 Studios and Pub Games are pleased to announce the “Survival Update,” which we hope offers dinosaur-fans a few more reasons to rejoice this summer. The Update should be live sometime between tonight and tomorrow. New Co-Op Gameplay- The Primal Carnage brand has thus far been a strictly PvP experience but “Survival” offers players a Co-op experience where the humans players must square off against endless waves of ever more challenging AI dinosaurs on the all new “Visitor Center” map. Players face off against a variety of dinosaurs including encounters with vicious cloaked raptors, fearsome pack alphas, and the … Continue reading Primal Carnage Gets Dino-mite New Update→

Circle 5 Studios and Pub Games are pleased to announce the “Survival Update,” which we hope offers dinosaur-fans a few more reasons to rejoice this summer. The Update should be live sometime between tonight and tomorrow.

New Co-Op Gameplay- The Primal Carnage brand has thus far been a strictly PvP experience but “Survival” offers players a Co-op experience where the humans players must square off against endless waves of ever more challenging AI dinosaurs on the all new “Visitor Center” map. Players face off against a variety of dinosaurs including encounters with vicious cloaked raptors, fearsome pack alphas, and the towering Acrocanthosaurus. Players are rewarded for their kills with currency they can use to buy powerups, weapon upgrades, and supplies before facing the next wave of prehistoric peril. Survival can be played in single-player or with up to 5 players in online co-op.

New Playable Dinosaur- The long-awaited Acrocanthosaurus is the newest addition to the Tyrant class of Dinosaurs. Though smaller and more thin-skinned than its Spino and Rex counterparts, the Acro’s speed, health-regenerating roar, and knockback-dealing stomp make it equally ferocious.

New Weapons For the Human Team
• Tranq Rifle: Trade your scoped bolt-action rifle powerful mid-range tranq rifle with a devastating capacity for incapacitation.
• Sensor Mine: New throwable weapon for the Scientist that marks nearby dinosaurs for your team.
• Frag Grenades: The commando finally a military-grade fragmentation grenade option.
• Hatchet: New throwable option for Pathfinder. Flares not doing it for you? Stick a Raptor in the face with this shiny new hatchet. (Raptor not included)

New Skins and Cosmetics Available – The Survival Update offers players more items to collect and customize their characters with. Three new item crates have been added to the game along with more than 50 other weapon skins, character skins, and other accessories are now dropping for players. The store now also offers name tags and description tags to players who want to make their loot even more epic.

A Glimpse of What’s to Come:
• New Game Modes: We’re currently developing more objective-oriented gamemodes as well as an asymmetric gamemode which pits one powerful dinosaur against a team of human players.
• User-Generated Content: We’re exploring releasing a map editor and integrating Steam Workshop to allow users to create playable content.
• New Dinosaurs, Weapons, Maps, Items, and everything else.

Lastly, about “Other Platforms”….
We wanted to let our console fans know that development has been going very well and we’re looking good for a release before the end of the year. We know we’ve been somewhat quiet about the port, but we’re working hard to bring a great experience to console players and we promise there will be specific announcements soon.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/primal-carnage-gets-dino-mite-new-update/feed/0My problem with Fallouthttp://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/my-problem-with-fallout/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/my-problem-with-fallout/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 15:34:02 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26692This week, the world got a new Fallout announcement. With E3 coming up, it wasn't really a surprise, especially considering Bethesda is hosting its first stand alone press conference at the show. The Fallout 4 teaser trailer looks incredible, but I probably won't play the game. I have this problem with Fallout.

This week, the world got a new Fallout announcement. With E3coming up, it wasn’t really a surprise, especially considering Bethesda is hosting its first stand alone press conference at the show. The Fallout 4 teaser trailer looks incredible, but I probably won’t play the game. I have this problem with Fallout. It just bums me out. Let me explain.

Let’s take a closer look at that amazing trailer. So it begins with an Alsation dog, sniffing around an abandoned and dishevelled home. The Ink Spots croon ‘It’s All Over’ to set the retro scene, as the camera pans out from the old style TV, which is branded ‘Radiation King’ and there’s a children’s game called ‘Blast Radius’ – fun times in Fallout.

We get flashes of what it used to be like, before the world ended and it’s bright and optimistic with domestic robots. I want to play in that world. But then the nuclear detonation happens and the music switches to more cinematic bombast, with choppers and futuristic marines with guns. We pan over the devastation. Gone are the pistachio greens and cherry reds of that idyllic retro future kitchen, with the shiny car in the drive. Instead, it goes brown and there’s twisted metal everywhere and everything’s hanging by one hinge or broken or singed or both.

Fallout 4 goes noir

But then, there’s what appears to be a jet powered pirate ship. The scene suddenly switches to a man in a trench coat and hat – it’s Bladerunner style cyber-noir. Now my interest is piqued. But the shop sign says Memory Den, which sounds creepy and he’s standing in a shabby back alley. There is neon though, so not everything’s been destroyed.

Then the trailer takes us on a tour of the game’s zones. There are

More fun times in Fallout 4

droids crossing the desert, R2 and Threepio style, and then a place that may be called Diamond City, with its ramshackle market area. There’s a store called Med-I-Care, which suggests they really don’t care, but you can always go for some Power Noodles instead. There’s lots of corrugated iron and tattered rags hanging over makeshift windows and lots of dust and everything’s the colour of despair.

The scene shifts again and we’ve got a Napoleonic town statue (which I’ve since learnt is Boston) and the majestic pirate ship is back. This time it’s slipping through the sky, with the town in its shadow. And I’m intrigued again. Do we get to fly a jet-powered pirate ship? Surely I could stand a bit of grim dystopia to fly a pirate galleon.

Jump to the next scene and we’ve got what appears to be rabid hoards. I assume these are victims of nuclear fallout, who can’t just sit and whimper while their faces melt. Looks like they’ve, instead, got some kind of nuclear rage, which means they want to wear my skin like a onesie.

Then we’re back with the dog, our guide through the trailer. He sniffs at the 50s style Nuka Cola vending machine and there’s an ominous looking mech chained up in the garage, which I think I recognise from my brief sojourn with Fallout 3. There are lots of guns in this garage, a Fallout Boy figurine and more Nuka Cola merchandise. But then the dog turns and runs outside to meet what I suppose is the hero of the piece, who just says, “Let’s go, pal.”

I gleaned all those details from a three minute trailer, which is incredible. When it comes to world building, Bethesda’s Fallout games are a master class. The scene is set so beautifully and then destroyed. The themes of blind optimism and consumerism, shattered by violence and nuclear technology, echo through every detail of the game.

I really want to play Fallout 4. The trailer has done it’s job. Plus I

Is this the Fallout 4 release date? 1 November 2015?

know that everyone loves those games. They’re great games. I even dipped a toe into Fallout 3. There I was in the bunker, enjoying the Cold War style propaganda and the characters, but then I got out of the bunker.

Outside, the world was just plain grim. There were people who wanted to kill me. Everyone was just existing. All hope had died. I wanted to go back to the bunker. Couldn’t I just take my protein pill and live in retro-future blissful ignorance?

I pressed on through the wasteland, collecting what was needed and rescuing people or avoiding altercations with ne’er do wells. There was a moment when I was in a subway station or an abandoned supermarket, picking my way through shelves and broken fridges to find supplies, when I realised. I took a step back, looked around and thought, “this isn’t actually very fun, it’s just depressing”.

Bethesda have made Fallout feel so real, that I just can’t bear to play in their world. There seems to be no relief from the abject horror of it all. Maybe I didn’t play enough. Maybe I need to give it another go. But then I think, even before the world went bad, the kids played Blast Radius and the happy ignorance, enhanced by my real world hindsight, depresses me again.

There’s a dog in it. Maybe that glimmer of companionship will get me through. Maybe, just maybe, this time, I’ll be able to play Fallout without slipping into an existential depression.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/my-problem-with-fallout/feed/2Star Wars Uprising Coming To Mobilehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/star-wars-uprising-coming-to-mobile/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/star-wars-uprising-coming-to-mobile/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 14:43:50 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26679Kabam, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Lucasfilm Ltd., today announced the development of Star Wars: Uprising, the first mobile game to take place after Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Developed by the industry-leading team at Kabam RPG Studio in San Francisco under the direction of Senior Vice President Aaron Loeb, Star Wars: Uprising will allow players to create their own unique character, go on missions, and build their gear and skills, while amassing a powerful crew and cartel to join in large-scale sector-wide battles that dictate … Continue reading Star Wars Uprising Coming To Mobile→

Kabam, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Lucasfilm Ltd., today announced the development of Star Wars: Uprising, the first mobile game to take place after Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Developed by the industry-leading team at Kabam RPG Studio in San Francisco under the direction of Senior Vice President Aaron Loeb, Star Wars: Uprising will allow players to create their own unique character, go on missions, and build their gear and skills, while amassing a powerful crew and cartel to join in large-scale sector-wide battles that dictate the future of the game universe. Players will also be able to engage in real-time co-op with friends against the Empire.

Star Wars: Uprising will introduce a new chapter of the Star Wars universe that will illuminate dramatic events in the Anoat Sector, inclusive of Hoth and Cloud City, following the Battle of Endor and the death of the Emperor. Players will learn hundreds of abilities and collect iconic Star Wars gear to create their own takes on the next generation of heroes: Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Rebel Guerilla, Diplomat, Gambler or something completely unique.

“Star Wars: Uprising is a deep role playing game (RPG) experience that will immerse players in the Star Wars universe during a unique time following the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine,” said Loeb. “The Kabam RPG Studio has taken its collective experience and passion for role playing games to focus on creating a unique and immersive gameplay experience for Star Wars fans and RPG gamers around the world.”

The Star Wars: Uprising official website is now live at http://playstarwarsuprising.com, where the game’s first trailer is now posted. By pre-registering, Star Wars fans can help shape the future of the in-game universe and win exclusive prizes such as a storm trooper helmet by voting for in-game content. Star Wars: Uprising will begin a beta roll out in select territories in the upcoming weeks.

The creative power behind the game comes from Kabam RPG Studio in San Francisco, which is made up of the top art, design and storytelling talent from the RPG world, and technical masters from across the video game industry. The team is dedicated to bringing the best RPG experiences to mobile and includes Daniel Erickson, former creative director of Star Wars: The Old Republic and Danny Keller, Emmy award nominee for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The studio’s most recent game, Spirit Lords, received the highly coveted Editors’ Choice Award on the App Store.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/star-wars-uprising-coming-to-mobile/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Fire Emblem Path of Radiancehttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-fire-emblem-path-of-radiance/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-fire-emblem-path-of-radiance/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 13:32:41 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26638Michael's back with his and many other's first Fire Emblem game he ever played for this week's Retro Game Friday. It's Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance!

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I enjoyed quite a bit, and would’ve continued playing till the end if it hadn’t destroyed my TV at the time. It’s Fire Emblem Path of Radiance!

Plot Synopsis: The protagonist, Ike, the son of Greil, begins the game as the newest member of his father’s mercenary company, the Greil Mercenaries.[23] The company operates within the borders of Crimea, a nation of non-shapeshifting humans (referred to as “beorc”) that shares its southern border with Gallia, a nation of beast laguz, or humanoids capable of transforming into animals.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, but I never finished it because about 3/4ths of the way through the game my TV started acting incredibly wonky whenever I played this game and only this game. It would turn the screen black during any non fighting action and thus made it impossible to progress in the story.

Characters: Ike is an alright main character, but I enjoyed Soren the most out of the all characters, which turned into him becoming one of four unstoppable killing machines in my army. Ike was another one, Boyd the Archer, and finally Volke the Assassin. The rest of the cast was pretty good, and I enjoyed this game’s cast immensely.

Gameplay: What makes the Fire Emblem series so different from the rest of Tactical RPGs is the fact that if one of your army dies, they are dead for good. No bringing them back to life. Did you just accidentally send that Flying unit over the mountains only to get into range of an archer or sniper? You might as well say goodbye to that unit as it’s going to die a horrible death. This leads to you pretty much saving after every action and keeping an additional save file before each battle. Is it tedious? Absolutely. But for this type of game it was completely necessary to do so, if you wanted to ever clear the story and definitely if you wanted to keep everyone alive.

Art: The art in this game is pretty good, even today. The fight scenes are not as good as the rest of the game, but it’s okay.

Music: The music was perfectly suited for this game.

Overall: If you don’t mind saving after every single action this game is for you.

For those who like: TRPGs, RPGs, Great Plot, Amazing Cast of Characters, Decent Artwork, Fantastic Music.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-fire-emblem-path-of-radiance/feed/0Bungie Raises 1 Million For Nepal Relief Effortshttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bungie-raises-1-million-for-nepal-relief-efforts/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bungie-raises-1-million-for-nepal-relief-efforts/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 02:38:52 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26676Several of Bungie’s community members who helped raise money for earthquake relief and recovery in Nepal through gaming company Bungie were at Direct Relief headquarters Thursday to present a check for more than $1,000,000. The donation makes the Seattle-based Company and developer of popular games, including Destiny, the single largest financial donor to the medical aid organization’s Nepal response efforts. “As a gamer, we spend our time pretending to save the world. It’s good to get an opportunity to save an actual part of the world through giving,” said Eddie Moreno, a Santa Barbara gamer who participated in the Bungie … Continue reading Bungie Raises 1 Million For Nepal Relief Efforts→

Several of Bungie’s community members who helped raise money for earthquake relief and recovery in Nepal through gaming company Bungie were at Direct Relief headquarters Thursday to present a check for more than $1,000,000.

The donation makes the Seattle-based Company and developer of popular games, including Destiny, the single largest financial donor to the medical aid organization’s Nepal response efforts.

“As a gamer, we spend our time pretending to save the world. It’s good to get an opportunity to save an actual part of the world through giving,” said Eddie Moreno, a Santa Barbara gamer who participated in the Bungie campaign.

The total $1,026,006.80 for medical relief in Nepal was raised when gamers purchased special t-shirts and a shader and emblem for their in-game character.

“The Bungie community’s amazing support will translate immediately and directly into help for people in Nepal who experienced a tremendous blow, are in a very difficult and more vulnerable situation now as monsoon season nears, and also have a long, tough road ahead,” said Direct Relief CEO, Thomas Tighe.

“Every penny will be spent to help strengthen essential health services that were needed before the earthquakes and much more so now.”

To date, Direct Relief has sent more than 119,000 pounds of medical aid supplies to Nepali-based organizations caring for survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on April 25 and subsequent 7.3 magnitude quake that hit on May 12. Direct Relief is preparing additional emergency shipments that will be delivered on a chartered cargo flight next week.

“It’s great to see where all of it is going. I’m proud to be one of the 50,000 people who bought a shirt,” remarked Moreno after learning more about Direct Relief’s response effort.

Bungie is a new donor to Direct Relief, however they have a history of charitable giving that dates back to Hurricane Katrina. Their executives reported that the campaign for Nepal is their most successful charitable initiative.

“When disaster strikes and aid is needed, Guardians are powerful allies to have on your side,” wrote Bungie in an update to their community. “You’re our pride and joy, Destiny Community. We’re in awe of you every day, and we thank you.”

The gamers said they look forward to more ways they can be a part of charitable efforts through Bungie’s games.

“We really hope that we get to have another opportunity like this again for a much more positive thing rather than just doing it for an emergency,” said Raul Aguirre, a Destiny gamer who helped present the check. “To all the fellow gamers out there, if you’ve donated, it means a lot.”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/bungie-raises-1-million-for-nepal-relief-efforts/feed/0Review of Ghost Killer, Book 03 of the Ghost Seer Serieshttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/review-of-ghost-killer-book-03/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/review-of-ghost-killer-book-03/#commentsThu, 04 Jun 2015 14:38:13 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26645Michael continues his audio book series review of the Ghost Seer novels by Robin D. Owens. Next stop: Book 3 and Ghost Killer.

I’m back with the third entry in the Ghost Seer series. It’s Ghost Killer, Book 03 of the Ghost Seer series by Robin D. Owens. It’s another Audible book review!

Plot Synopsis: When her aunt died, level-headed accountant Clare Cermak inherited a fortune–as well as a phantom dog and the power to help ghosts move on. Her new gift led her to Zach Slade, a sexy private investigator with a unique psychic gift of his own and the man who’s slowly opening her heart. But as they work toward building a future together, a sinister threat emerges.

Plot: The plot’s about as good as the 2nd book in the series, and I appreciate the focus on the less physical side of their relationship, because sex scenes in books are always awkward to me. The plot itself is focused more on the supernatural side of the world and I appreciate that, although it’s leaving me with a whole bunch of questions I hope get answered in the next book.

Characters: We meet a few new characters, mainly ones centered around the case Clare and Zach take in this book. That being said it’s nice to have some more background on Zach’s employer Rickman and his foster Aunt. Enzo is still my favorite character, although Zach’s quickly catching up to him and I think I’ll probably enjoy Zach a heck of a lot more in coming volumes.

Voicework: Coleen Mario did yet another fantastic job, and I still enjoy her as Enzo. I guess I’m just a sucker for doggies.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/book-review/review-of-ghost-killer-book-03/feed/0TNT: Konjiki no Wordmaster Chapter One by Tomoto Suihttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-konjiki-no-wordmaster-chapter-one-by-tomoto-sui/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-konjiki-no-wordmaster-chapter-one-by-tomoto-sui/#commentsThu, 04 Jun 2015 13:32:58 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26629Michael's back with his first real post in his renamed Thursday column! It's time to throw down with Konjiki no Wordmaster Chapter One by Tomoto Sui!

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series that I really enjoy, because it’s pretty great. It’s Konjiki no Word Master: Yuusha Yonin ni Makikomareta Unique Cheat, or The Unique Cheat of The Man Dragged In By The Four Heroes in English, Chapter One: Vagrant Like a Unique Cheat by Tomoto Sui! This is based off the Web Novel translation as I’ve not read the Light Novels.

Plot Synopsis: Gluttonous and book-loving “loner” high school student Okamura Hiiro finds himself flying into a different world, along with his happy-go-lucky classmates! The four classmates are frolicking around after seeing that they all have the title of “Hero”, but Hiiro’s title was…”Innocent Bystander”?! Hiiro starts his adventure by himself with his word magic, the power to embody the image of a word and aims for new landsǃ

Plot: The plot for this first arc, called Chapter in this series, is pretty good as it introduces us to Hiiro and his companions and gives us a pretty good look at how unfair his magic is. I won’t spoil much, but I’ve gotta say it’s a pretty freaking awesome plot.

Characters: Arnold and Hiiro are pretty enjoyable as they are pretty much Oil and Water and the only reason they even travel together is because of Muir whom Hiiro doesn’t mind having around, the fact that Hiiro is a glutton, and Arnold is a world class chef as well as adventurer.

Art: From the few pieces of artwork I’ve seen the Light Novel looks pretty freaking good. I’ll not be covering the art in future columns on this series, but it looks damn good.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/tnt-konjiki-no-wordmaster-chapter-one-by-tomoto-sui/feed/0Exploring Continuity And Casual Greatnesshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/exploring-continuity-casual-greatness/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/exploring-continuity-casual-greatness/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2015 22:17:01 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26625Easy to learn, hard to master” is usually considered the gold standard for a casual game. But Continuity proves that casual does not have to equal match three.

“Easy to learn, hard to master” is usually considered the gold standard for a casual game. The more time new players must spend, learning how systems and items work, the less casual and accessible the game is. (I love a good World of Warcraft or Icewind Dale, too, playing a game for years and still discovering new abilities for new character classes, and still finding tweaks to my customized hotkeys.) But accessible doesn’t have to mean match-three.

Continuity simply uses arrow keys to solve puzzles, in two modes. The first mode is a slider puzzle, with gentle meditative background music. In this mode, the puzzle is to build a path for your little hero to get the red key and get into the red door.

Hit spacebar to enter the second mode, a platform adventure exploring the path you just made. Again, players will use arrow keys to navigate, trying to get the key and then reach the door.The faster, more energetic music matches the jumping and running challenge.

There’s a surprising amount of variation in the 30+ levels. Later levels add extra keys, and speed-pausing puzzles, but the real growing challenge, and the real fun, comes from the interplay of the two gameplay modes. Players are building a platform game through a slider puzzle, then playtesting it, switching back to change the layout, playing again, switching back and forth to reach a goal.

Working in games, it’s hard not to play a game and think that it’s just like a popular other title with 1 vector of innovation, the common “like X but with Y” formula. In this case, I played each new level and legitimately wondered how the developers came up with it. So fun. It actually was really easy to learn the game rules, and then quite challenging to defeat the later levels.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/exploring-continuity-casual-greatness/feed/0Fallout 4 Announcedhttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/fallout-4-announced/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/fallout-4-announced/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2015 15:44:51 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26634Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, today confirmed the upcoming global release of Fallout 4, the next generation of open-world gaming. The world premiere of the game will take place during Bethesda’s E3 Showcase being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on June 14th beginning at 7pm PST, and streamed live around the world via Twitch and YouTube. Fallout 4 is being developed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and PC by award-winning Bethesda Game Studios under the direction of Todd Howard. This eagerly-awaited game is the follow up to the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, … Continue reading Fallout 4 Announced→

Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, today confirmed the upcoming global release of Fallout 4, the next generation of open-world gaming. The world premiere of the game will take place during Bethesda’s E3 Showcase being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on June 14th beginning at 7pm PST, and streamed live around the world via Twitch and YouTube.

Fallout 4 is being developed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and PC by award-winning Bethesda Game Studios under the direction of Todd Howard. This eagerly-awaited game is the follow up to the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, Fallout 3, and the first title from the world-renowned studio since the release of their global phenomenon and 2011 ‘Game of the Year’, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

“We know what this game means to everyone,” said Game Director, Todd Howard, “The time and technology have allowed us to be more ambitious than ever. We’ve never been more excited about a game, and we can’t wait to share it.”

The game’s official trailer, created in-game at Bethesda Game Studios, can be viewed at: www.fallout4.com.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/fallout-4-announced/feed/0Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Adds New Actionhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/wolfenstein-the-old-blood-adds-new-action/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/wolfenstein-the-old-blood-adds-new-action/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2015 13:49:07 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26602Wolfenstein: The Old Blood adds even more kick to one of the most memorable shooters to come out in years. Once again the Nazis are up to their old tricks, and it’s up to you to put a stop to them, permanently.

I have to admit, last year, I never saw Wolfenstein: The New Order coming. After all, the previous Wolfenstein game was rather forgettable, and I expected the same thing from Machine Games’ 2014 release. Thankfully I was wrong. What looked like another typical shooter in the Wolfenstein universe turned out to be a beautiful, enjoyable, and at times, even a funny portrayal of what the world would look like if the Nazis did win World War II. The game was so much fun it warranted multiple playthroughs from me, and even earned a spot on my Top 5 games of the year list. It was that good, and left me wanting more.

Leave it to Bethesda to grant me my wish, as one year later, a digital-only standalone follow up called Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was released. Notice that I did not refer to the game as a sequel, because it is actually a prequel to New Order. In fact it takes place before the 1946 assault on Deathshead’s fortress. In addition, Old Blood can be considered an unofficial reboot of Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Those armored troops are very difficult, unless you cut the power.

That is because once again, B.J. Blazkowicz receives orders to infiltrate the titular Castle Wolfenstein. Along with fellow OSA agent “Agent One” their target is a top secret folder from one Helga Von Schabbs. But the mission ends up being compromised, and both BJ and Agent One are captured. BJ must escape, locate Agent One, and recover the folder before the plan is put into motion.

Old Blood consists of eight levels, divided into two parts, with both of their titles sounding like those used in a Quentin Tarantino movie (a tradition that carries over from New Order.) The first part concentrates on Schabb’s lieutenant, Rudi Jager and his trusted albino German Shepherd, Greta. During this chapter we are introduced to new stealth based elements, such as deactivating power sources needed to get past or eliminate power-armored soldiers. Also, with a new detachable pipe weapon, BJ can now climb up jagged surfaces, as well as use it as a killer melee weapon.

Hey Hans, did you toss me something?

The second part of the game takes as a whole new game of its own. In fact, it almost feels like another game that id Software is best known for. It was quite a surprise, but in the end it just made the game so much more fun to play

What I can say about the perfection though is once again how gorgeous the game is. The id Tech 5 engine shines on the Xbox One, running a near constant 60 frames per second with no sign of any detail loss. It truly feels like a next generation title, just like its full-price predecessor.

What a great trick! How do you balance that knife on your nose? What? It’s IN your nose?

I finished Old Blood in about 8 hours on Bring ‘Em On difficulty, and even at that difficulty, the game is brutal. The AI varies between units, but standard SS soldiers are brutal in their own way. Stay hiding in a corner too long, and they will lob grenades without mercy. Not since the Call of Duty games have I seen enemies be so liberal with grenades, and damn if it doesn’t make the game more intense. I can only imagine how vicious they would be on the Death Incarnate or Uber difficulties.

But being as good as it is, I will gladly go through Old Blood again on these higher difficulties. And at $20 it makes a great value as well. Now if Bethesda treats the upcoming DOOM reboot the same way they did Wolfenstein, I will say they will end up being my favorite publisher, as if them doing Fallout and Elder Scrolls wasn’t good enough.

Pros: The amazing gunplay of The New Order returns unaltered. Guns feel like they still have weight to them. AI is much more relentless this time around. Game takes on a whole new level near the end of the game. In fact if it weren’t for a slightly disappointing final boss battle, it would have achieved total shooting perfection.

Cons: Might not have as much of the humor that New Blood had. Final boss encounter might be disappointing for some players.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/wolfenstein-the-old-blood-adds-new-action/feed/1Book Series Wednesday: The Sapphire Rose by David Eddingshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-sapphire-rose-by-david-eddings/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-sapphire-rose-by-david-eddings/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2015 13:32:39 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26620Michael's back with the conclusion to The Elenium series this week for Book Series Wednesday. It's The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings! Major Spoilers for previous books inside.

This week for Book Series Wednesday I’m covering the final book in the Elenium series. It’s The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings!

Plot Synopsis: Sparhawk now has possession of the Bhelliom, the titular Sapphire Rose, after defeating Ghwerig the troll and receiving it from the hands of Flute, who is now revealed to have been the Child Goddess Aphrael.

Plot: The plot is quite good and does things I never really expected the author to do, which is quite nice. The twist at the very end is also quite good.

Characters: My favorite three of Talen, Kurik, and Ulath are still three of my favorites, but Sparhawk and Ehlana are tied with them for being snarky. Heck even the rather stiff Bevier has his badass snark moments as well in this book and I particularly enjoyed a particular scene with him.

Overeall: This is a very worthy ending to the very excellent series The Elenium. It isn’t the end of the story for Sparhawk and his friends though and I’ll be continuing with the sequel series The Tamuli soon.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-sapphire-rose-by-david-eddings/feed/0Let’s Play The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing IIIhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii/#commentsTue, 02 Jun 2015 14:13:06 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26597Vincent jumps in with both fists to tackle the most excellent world of Van Helsing III from Neocore Games. Come by and see if lighting will strike three times for this excellent action RPG.

Vincent jumps in with both fists to tackle the most excellent world of Van Helsing III from Neocore Games. Having played the first games in the series, he was ready to brave the violent world of number three. Come see if the first half hour or so of the game makes Van Helsing 3 something that you need to add to your must play list.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/video-review/lets-play-the-incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-iii/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: My Hopes for E3http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-hopes-for-e3/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-hopes-for-e3/#commentsTue, 02 Jun 2015 13:32:16 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26616Michael's really looking forward to this summer's conventions as he has some high hopes for the Video Game Industry that he talks about for this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about E3!

This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m going to talk about what I hope to hear about from this year’s E3!

What is E3?: If you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, E3 is a trade show for Video Game Companies to show off their up and coming hardware and software, which translates to Consoles and Games! It’s sort of like a yearly Christmas in June for Video Gamers who like to see what’s going to be coming out in the future for gaming.

What’s so special about this year’s E3?: Besides it being the 20th show, this year we are having a couple of companies having a press conference for the first time this year. They are Bethesda and Square Enix and I’m really excited in particular for Square Enix.

What do I expect to see?: Lots of marketing for upcoming games including the yearly installment of Call of Duty, I wish that series would just die, and others like Halo 5: Guardians, Final Fantasy 14: Heavensward, and Batman Arkham Knight, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and Star Wars: Battlefront among other things.

What do I hope to see or hear about?: Final Fantasy 15 and a solid release date, I’m not talking about an expected released date either, I want to hear it’s coming out in the next 365 days. I also hope to hear about the next Elder Scrolls game, that isn’t ESO because that was a massive failure in my opinion. I expect to hear about FF15’s release date much more than another Elder Scrolls game, but I don’t have high hopes for either.

What are your hopes for this years E3? Leave a comment below with what you hope to see. That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-my-hopes-for-e3/feed/0Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle Doesn’t Need Room For Improvementhttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/rooms-unsolvable-puzzle-doesnt-need-room-for-improvement/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/rooms-unsolvable-puzzle-doesnt-need-room-for-improvement/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2015 14:06:30 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26458Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle has a huge amount of puzzle gaming content, with over 144 levels of family friendly, puzzle-solving action, great graphics and a good story to move things along. Check into room's unique mansion, though you may never want to leave it.

You know I love the puzzle games. So when our editor John Breeden came by with a new puzzle game, I was interested. When he said that he had played it himself and even made one of our new Let’s Play videos about it, I was definitely intrigued. You see, puzzles are not really in John’s wheelhouse, so any such game that John is willing to put that much effort into should be something worth playing.

Turns out I was right. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle takes a group of increasingly more challenging puzzles and interweaves them into a charming story with fantastic art and sound. It is a sequel to Rooms: The Main Building, which graced computer screens about seven years ago.

The backstory of Rooms may seem similar to gamers like me who remember playing “The 7th Guest” in the early 90’s. No one? Maybe that’s just me. Anyway, the game opens up with a book’s pages being turned, and we read the tale of a famous toymaker who was beloved for his wonderful creations. One night he mysteriously vanished, taking his fabulous mansion with him. Then one night the castle just as mysteriously appears in your backyard for you to explore and solve. Armed only with your wits and your talking lantern, you venture in to see what awaits you.

Oh, I don’t think that is at all appropriate…

You start by selecting which room in which mansion you’d like to solve. Initially, since you can get to a puzzle until you’ve solve the one before it, you pretty much have to pick the first one, unless you want to skip ahead to the basement (more on this later). This is a good thing, as you will slowly be introduced to new concepts as the levels become more challenging.

Each level of Rooms is at its core a slider puzzle. When you are in a room, you can either move to an adjacent room (as long there is a ladder and no wall/floor is in the way) or you can click on a gear to slide the room to an adjacent empty space. The basic idea is to form a path for you to get to the exit room. Every time you slide a room, a counter decreases further from it’s initial value of the minimum number of moves needed to solve the level. If you use these up, don’t worry, the game will automatically reset it to a new number at the cost of one of the three jigsaw puzzle pieces you could earn.

This part is not always as obvious as it was in the earlier levels. Sometimes your way is blocked by a locked door that will stay closed until you get the key elsewhere. As the game goes on more and more devices are presented to give you even more options (and in a puzzle where there is only one perfect solution, having more options doesn’t help you). Telephones can be used to transport yourself to the other room with the same phone. Wardrobes switch the positions of the two rooms while leaving you behind. While these may seem like distractions at times, they are almost always each needed to finish the level. What’s more, these methods of affecting the game board don’t cost moves from your counter, so they are worth trying most of the time.

As you complete more levels, the game treats you to more of the story of the toymaker. This is well-written, and the music that is played while you read is top-notch for creating the mood. Also, certain levels will unlock the group of levels in the next mansion, giving you another option of puzzles to switch to if you get too frustrated. While the difficulty in the new mansion nearly resets, the levels there still integrate any of the concepts from earlier, while slowly introducing new ones. These bombs, puppets, room attractors and such provide additional challenges as well as the devices you theoretically mastered in the earlier mansions.

She’s Managed to fold space and time! Time Lady!

With each mansion comes access to its basement, which is only recommended for those who have “mastered the concepts of this mansion.” The puzzles here are similar to the ones upstairs, but you are given an additional power to use at your discretion. For example, in the first mansion, you are given a cellphone ability which lets you transport to any phone on the level from anywhere. You can imagine how much this increases the difficulty, as this power needs to be used at certain parts in the process to solve the level, and you only have a certain number of uses.

While there is by necessity a finite number of puzzles (24 per mansion plus 12 in the basement, and 4 mansions makes a total of 144 levels), there are more than enough to keep you occupied for quite a while. It is easily worth the cost to download it. This beautiful puzzle experience quite handily earns 5 Gems out of 5.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/rooms-unsolvable-puzzle-doesnt-need-room-for-improvement/feed/0Manga Monday: Buso Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsukihttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-buso-renkin-by-nobuhiro-watsuki/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-buso-renkin-by-nobuhiro-watsuki/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2015 13:32:12 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26592Michael's back with a series that didn't do as well as the author's previous work for this week's Manga Monday. It's Buso Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsuki!

This week I’m covering a series by the author of Rurouni Kenshin for Manga Monday. It’s Buso Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsuki!

Plot Synopsis: The narrative of Buso Renkin follows Kazuki Muto, who saves Tokiko Tsumura and is killed by an alchemical monster known as a homunculus. Tokiko, an alchemist warrior, feels responsible and revives him by replacing his destroyed heart with a kakugane (核鉄). The kakugane is an alchemical device which, when activated, takes a weapon form based on its user’s personality, forming a buso renkin—the only thing that can destroy a homunculus.

Plot: The plot is okay, but it wasn’t nearly as good as Rurouni Kenshin. It’s sort of a disappointment, but not everyone can write amazing series back to back.

Characters: I honestly didn’t like the cast of Buso Renkin at first, but they sort of grew on me.

Art: The art was just as good as Rurouni Kenshin.

Overall: This is an easily skippable series, but it’s not super terrible either.

For those who like: Action, Urban Fantasy, Drama, Science as Magic, Magic as Science.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-buso-renkin-by-nobuhiro-watsuki/feed/0The Sad Tale of Tron 3http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/tron-3/
http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/tron-3/#commentsSun, 31 May 2015 13:55:58 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26612It looks like Tron 3 isn't going to be happening because Disney wants to focus on releasing more remakes of its older movies, because originality is dead.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/cartoon/tron-3/feed/0Anime Sunday: Kekkai Sensenhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-kekkai-sensen/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/anime-sunday-kekkai-sensen/#commentsSun, 31 May 2015 13:32:33 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26576Michael's back with one of his favorite series from the current season. It's time to unclog those arteries with Kekkai Sensen!

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a series I wasn’t expecting to love, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find that I do. It’s Kekkai Sensen, or Bloodline Battlefront translated literally!

Plot Synopsis: Kekkai Sensen centers around the crime fighting organization “Libra” and their battles in Hellsalem’s Lot, formerly known as New York City. Hellsalem’s Lot was created when a portal to the “Beyond” opened, becoming a paranormal melting pot of monsters, magic and the everyday mundane life, and it is up to Libra to clear the streets of trouble and prevent the horrors of this city from spreading to the outside world.

Plot: The plot for the series is pretty good, and while it has it’s comedic moments it’s a fairly serious series. I really do enjoy the series so far, and I’m looking forward to continuing to watch it.

Characters: I love the cast of Kekkai Sensen, because they are all amazingly detailed and all slightly insane which is awesome. I was pretty surprised to hear the voice of Zoro from One Piece voicing Zapp, but since they are both swordsman it’s perfect. The rest of the cast is great, and I really love them all.

Art: The artwork is amazing, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Studio Bones. Everything is wonderfully detailed and fluidly animated.

Music: If the artwork is amazing, the musical score is stupendous and I love both opening and ending themes. It doesn’t hurt that one of my favorite bands Bump of Chicken does the opening as well.

Overall: If you want a good solid series to watch this is one of those you need to watch.

This week for Shoujo Saturday I’m covering a series I found recently but only had time for one chapter. That means it’s a Quick Review! It’s Shiroi no Koukoku Monogatari by Shirasawa Inui!

Plot Synopsis: Having lost his money, lover, and future, a man who has given up on everything finds himself reincarnated in the kingdom of Altodestenia. He, Lectival, has no memories prior to being saved by Meriela, the daughter of an aristocrat, and now finds himself rising up to save the kingdom in it’s current crisis.

Plot: The plot seems pretty good, and I’ll be reading the rest of the released chapters very soon, I’ll probably cover the full series next week.

Characters: Meriela and Lect seem to be pretty freaking awesome main character, but I’m hoping the cast expands soon, granted I’ve only read one chapter so far.

Art: The art is amazing, but that may be a problem of poor raw scans. Either way though I think it’s the plot and characters that will make this a good series, and not the art.

Overall: I’m interested enough to keep reading and I’ll have a full review up very soon™.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/shoujo-saturday-shiroi-no-koukoku-monogatari-by-shirasawa-inui-quick-review/feed/0Magicka 2 Now Availablehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/magicka-2-now-available/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/magicka-2-now-available/#commentsFri, 29 May 2015 17:05:31 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26572Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games with its own casting department, today released Magicka 2 for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and for Windows PCs. Magicka 2, a game titled “Mad Magicks: Fury Robe” at one point (but not now), is available to download and play now on both platforms, enabling would-be Wizards everywhere to play alone or in groups through a new adventure with hundreds of spells and zero vampires. The game is available via PlayStation Network and via digital retailers on PC for $14.99, or in a Deluxe Edition for $19.99, at the game’s website. “For so … Continue reading Magicka 2 Now Available→

]]>Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games with its own casting department, today released Magicka 2 for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and for Windows PCs. Magicka 2, a game titled “Mad Magicks: Fury Robe” at one point (but not now), is available to download and play now on both platforms, enabling would-be Wizards everywhere to play alone or in groups through a new adventure with hundreds of spells and zero vampires. The game is available via PlayStation Network and via digital retailers on PC for $14.99, or in a Deluxe Edition for $19.99, at the game’s website.

“For so many of our fans, Paradox and Magicka are practically synonymous,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive, not a vampire. “Which is strange, because the two words don’t mean the same thing at all, and our company is not populated by terrifying and irresponsible misanthropes who are constantly liquefying each other with fire-infused beams of pure death. However, it is still a wonderful milestone for us all to share the next chapter of our best-selling series with the world, and to publish our first game on the PlayStation 4. Magicka 2 is the perfect game to play together on the couch in front of a big screen, where you’re always within reach of the friend causing all of those friendly-fire ‘accidents.’”

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/magicka-2-now-available/feed/0Is The Witcher 3 Really Up There With Skyrim?http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/is-the-witcher-3-really-up-there-with-skyrim/
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/is-the-witcher-3-really-up-there-with-skyrim/#commentsFri, 29 May 2015 14:21:55 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26566Todd gets deep into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt this week, but how does he respond when he hears people comparing it to perennial favorite Skyrim? Does he really think it could rise to that level?

I’m sure you all remember last time when I wrote about the problems I had with my Project Cars experience. I mentioned how the game was meant to tide me over until the launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. After all, it was the Witcher which made me trade in my dust-collecting New 3DS because I knew this was the game I would be playing for hours on end.

It’s strange because I know back in the day I hated RPGs. You all know my stance against the Final Fantasy series as well as other “wait your turn while you get gang assaulted by their toughest spells” RPGs that made me want to throw my controller to a wall. But with more action based RPGs such as Fallout 3 and the immortal Skyrim coming to prominence, my stance changed dramatically.

And now, we have the Witcher 3, a game that I have spent more than 50 hours on so far. Keep in mind as comparison, that I spent nearly 300 hours on Skyrim, and that is playing it twice, once on the Xbox 360 and again on PC. It is a game that truly has proven to withstand the test of time, and always leaves me coming back for me. But what intrigued me with The Witcher 3 is that many people have been saying that it’s equal to, or at times superior, to Bethesda’s RPG magnum opus.

And what do I have to say about it? So far, it’s getting there.

For starters, I didn’t think I would really get into it as sort of a newbie to the series. I wasn’t able to play the first game since it won’t start on my laptop. As for Witcher 2, I got it free via Games With Gold and only played a few hours, but other games kept pulling me away and I couldn’t find time to really get into it. Thankfully CD Projekt Red did something smart for those who are new to the series, allowing you to “simulate” a character from Witcher 2 via an interview process. After that happened I started venturing out into the vast world, which now, even 50 hours in, I feel that I only scratched the surface.

And over the course of the game I travelled from location to location, this time via horseback (something I NEVER did in Skyrim,) picking up any alchemy ingredients I came across (which I’ve always did in Skyrim,) and locating any quests I can do pending the required level (thank you CD Projekt for showing recommendations.)

But then we get to the combat, which in itself deviates a lot from Skyrim. Considering how long I’ve played Skyrim, my character is so powered up that I can just wail away on anyone with minimal health loss. Sometimes I might have to do a FUS RO DAH (the only shout I really used) to stun some more difficult opponents, but that was pretty much that. Not so with Witcher 3, as even a swarm of lower level enemies can kill me if I’m not careful. I actually had to learn to parry and dodge while timing my attacks. Yes I could use my signs during combat, which I do a lot, though my go to sign has been Igni (a blast of fire), when if I was playing Skyrim-style it should be Aard.

But I’ve also noticed a couple elements I felt play a bit better in Skyrim. For one, I was always huge with alchemy in Skyrim, and made my own potions on a regular basis, eventually selling them for a profit. While some effects were available to select from, there were times I just wanted to combine ingredients by themselves and see what the results were. Sadly I can’t do that in Witcher 3, as I can only create from a pre-determined list of items. Hopefully that will get fixed soon.

I can say the same thing about crafting items. Yes I know that Geralt is a more scripted character compared to the Dovahkiin, who can be made to anyone you want, but having to go to a blacksmith to craft items can be a bit of a pain, especially when the ones you find are not skilled enough to craft anything useful.

I know a lot of you are reading this and thinking “here we go again, he hates The Witcher 3.” That can’t be any more farther from the truth. I absolutely LOVE this game. Since launch, it is the only game I’ve played on ANY console I own, and it looks like that is not going to change for a while. Even when Elder Scrolls Online comes to Xbox One, I am sure I will keep going back to Witcher 3. In fact, I can easily see it being on my best games of the year list. But is it at the same level as Skyrim? At times, yes it is on some elements and no it’s not on others. But I know CD Projekt Red is constantly building up this game, and with them promising 16 different sets of DLC for FREE, in addition to two expansion packs, they truly seem committed to it. That, I can live with. Keep up the good work CD Projekt RED!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/hardcore/is-the-witcher-3-really-up-there-with-skyrim/feed/2Trailer: Bozak Horde DLC Available For Dying Lighthttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-bozak-horde-dlc-available-for-dying-light/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-bozak-horde-dlc-available-for-dying-light/#commentsFri, 29 May 2015 14:05:44 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26570Techland unveils a new DLC mode for their zombie thriller Dying Light. Watch the trailer to learn about a new type of zombies and the mad man behind them.

]]>The Bozak Horde – the largest and most intense Dying Light DLC to date – is now available worldwide. In this brand-new game mode, players enter the infamous Harran Stadium to test their combat and parkour know-how in a series of sadistically challenging trials. The support for online leaderboards, strong focus on co-op gameplay, and addition of competitive elements create altogether a major expansion that lets players experience Dying Light in completely new ways.

The Bozak Horde is available to all Season Pass Holders or as a separate purchase of 9.99 USD / 9.99 EUR / 6.99 GBP.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/trailer-bozak-horde-dlc-available-for-dying-light/feed/0Retro Game Friday: Rampage World Tourhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-rampage-world-tour/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-rampage-world-tour/#commentsFri, 29 May 2015 13:32:14 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26554Michael's back with an arcade classic for this week's Retro Game Friday! It's time to unleash the beast within with Rampage World Tour!

I’m back with a guilty pleasure game from my childhood for this week’s Retro Game Friday. It’s all about Rampage World Tour!

Plot Synopsis: George, Lizzie, and Ralph have been released due to an explosion at a Scumlabs facility. The trio begin to destroy all of Scumlabs’ bases scattered throughout the world.

Plot: I totally didn’t even remember that this game had a plot, but that was never the draw.

Gameplay: It’s like one of those old arcade side scrolling punch em up games, except your main targets are buildings and you just beat the crap out of it with your fists and occasionally eat your friends if they were untransformed by losing too much health.The game was fun to a kid, but it’d probably get boring to me really quickly.

Music: Don’t remember it much, but it definitely had that old arcade feel.

Art: Pixel graphics make this a pretty timeless classic.

Overall: It’s probably worth an hour of your time, but probably not much more.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/retro-game-friday-rampage-world-tour/feed/0Gaming Flatmates from Hellhttp://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/gaming-flatmates-from-hell/
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/gaming-flatmates-from-hell/#commentsThu, 28 May 2015 14:16:57 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26444So you've got a room for rent or you're looking for a house share, but all the possible options mean you'll be living with a gaming character. How do you decide? James and Chella to the rescue, once again, with Argue the Toss - the 15 minute podcast that answers modern life's pressing questions.

So you’ve got a room for rent or you’re looking for a house share, but all the possible options mean you’ll be living with a gaming character. How do you decide? James and Chella to the rescue, once again, with Argue the Toss – the 15 minute podcast that answers modern life’s pressing questions.

Lara always forgets the rule about no guns in the house

Yes, this week, the intrepid duo are sifting through possible gaming flatmates and giving you the low down on the ones to avoid. In a twist of fate, one of James’s choices turns out to be perfect for Chella, but who is it? Only one way to find out – listen this way for another enlightening episode.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/podcasts/argue-the-toss/gaming-flatmates-from-hell/feed/0Translation Neccesary Thursday: A wild name change appears!http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/translation-neccesary-thursday-a-wild-name-change-appears/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/translation-neccesary-thursday-a-wild-name-change-appears/#commentsThu, 28 May 2015 13:32:54 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26547Michael's back with a new name for his Thursday column after contemplating and discarding a few hundred over the last three months. It's time to unveil Translation Necessary Thursday!

Hi all after deciding to officially change my Thursday column’s focus from Light Novels to all translated novels way back in Feburary I’ve finally finalized a name for the column! It’s Translation Necessary Thursday, or TNT for short and because it’s my most explosive column according to page views!

Why the name change?: Well as much as I liked Light Novel Thursday it just didn’t flow well off the tongue and was somewhat clunky. Now you may say, Michael this has even more letters in it! This is true, and so from now on the column will be simply titled TNT: [Insert Column Subject Name Here]. This is because I’ve got to format it in such a way that it’ll work on two different websites and it’ll be easier in the future to just use TNT instead of Translation Necessary Thursday. As for why it took so long to come up with this name, it’s because I had to take the above into account and I wanted it to be meaningful in multiple ways. Coming up with a good name is hard and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

What about the column’s content?: Nothing’s changing except the name and it won’t be retroactively changed unless I get really bored in the future and decide to change all the past column’s names. The likelyhood of that is very low though as I’m pretty busy right now.

What’s up with that artwork above?: It’s a little teaser for next week’s first real TNT post! Look forward to it.

Light Novel Thursday is dead. Long live Translation Necessary Thursday!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/translation-neccesary-thursday-a-wild-name-change-appears/feed/2Destiny: House of Wolves DLC Has Bitehttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/destiny-house-of-wolves-dlc-has-bite/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/destiny-house-of-wolves-dlc-has-bite/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 14:14:04 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26530Destiny has expanded again, this time with the House of Wolves DLC. We talk with two veteran players who have been there since launch, to find out what they think about all the new content.

GiN Guest Reviewers Craig Charles and Chris Wolf have been playing Destiny since the beginning. They’ve stuck with it through its various ups and downs, and now are jumping into the brand new Destiny DLC: House of Wolves. Each will offer their thoughts on the new DLC. The content is edited by GiN’s Michael Blaker.

The official score for House of Wolves is a combination of both Chris and Craig’s scores. Here is how each one of them individually scored Destiny’s newest DLC.

Editor Michael Blaker writes: Destiny has seen some shaky times since its launch, with the nerfing of caves and the abysmal failure that was The Dark Below DLC content pack. House of Wolves adds a few new additions while changing very little of the basic premise of the game and changing nothing of my personal concerns. That being said, I asked two guests of mine to actually review the game and these are their thoughts.

Craig Charles: I’ve only done the story missions and strike as well as the level 28 and 32 versions of the Prison of Elders. For the story missions it’s more of the same that we saw in The Dark Below, doing levels backwards in the same areas we’ve seen before. There is very little story to be had.

Chris Wolf: I’ve also done the same content, and agree that it’s pretty much more of the same we’ve seen and done before countless times. There is no PlayStation Exclusive Strike this time around however. The new strike is a lot like the Omnigul Strike in that you end up chasing someone, although you can actually damage the target before the end and have it count towards the last fight. There is an annoying point in the Walker boss as it’s in a confined area and it’s hard to get a hit on him.

CC: There are also two new enemies, sort of. The Shank enemy type has been expanded to include a sniping version and an exploding version. I did find the new strike to be a lot more enjoyable than Omnigul.

CW: That reminds me, the new Heavy Pike is kind of fun, but it’s not used all that much so far. [Editors Note: The Heavy Pike can be found in the Venus Patrol in the Ember Caves area in one of the caves usually. That is still only one area in a game with essentially only four glorified public play areas and two (three if you count the secret you unlock via Trials of Osiris) “social” areas.]

Hey, where is a guardian supposed to get a cup of Joe around here? You’re the new guide aren’t you? So, just a touch of sugar and cream?

CC: It is nice that the Nightfall and Weekly Heroic Strikes are different now. For the Prison of Elders the level 28 version is doable with only two people. The level 32 version is considerably more difficult.

CW: It’s nice that the game feels more balanced in terms of difficulty scaling, although I haven’t attempted to do the level 35 version of the Prison of Elders yet.

CC: The first four “waves” are nice, but if you get stuck with the Cabal the last boss is incredibly annoying in that every grunt enemy you kill doesn’t really do anything but spawn an extra grunt. This leads you to be constantly bombarded and you’re going to have to kill the boss while dodging lots of lasers and bullets.

CW: I didn’t experience that, but I’d have to say that it was definitely nice to have some new modifiers to help you kill enemies. The areas are new, and the first few waves are nice like Craig said.

CC: Another new feature that is a vast improvement to the older systems is the revamp of the Upgrade System. In the past you had to upgrade your weapons and armor, and it had unnecessary “bubbles” that only increased weapon damage or improved defense. Those are now gone. In addition you can “reforge” your new HoW weapons to get the perks you want on the weapon, which means all weapons have the ability to be relevant in the new content.

Chris Wolf: I’d forgotten about that, in addition to removing those unnecessary bubbles all Exotics are now upgradable to the max level, including previous ones like the Vex Mythoclast which were not upgradable in The Dark Below.

Quite a hangar bay you got here, but try not to scratch my new paint job.

CC: I’ve had fun in my limited play time with House of Wolves so far. Do I think it will have good replay value, probably although this is Destiny we are talking about. I do wish that they had given us more content, I heard someone say that for the price of the Season Pass ($30) we should have gotten our money’s worth which is at least half of what Destiny originally gave us. It definitely doesn’t live up to the promise of that and was probably not worth even close to $30.

CW: I agree with Craig about the above, but it is definitely an improvement over The Dark Below.

CC: Agreed for the most part, although the higher level content looks like it will have the same issues as the Crota’s End Hard Mode Raid, which is false difficulty in unsurpassable level differences.

Michael Blaker: Thanks for the review Craig and Chris! It was lots of fun working with you on this!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/destiny-house-of-wolves-dlc-has-bite/feed/0Book Series Wednesday: The Ruby Knight by David Eddingshttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-ruby-knight-by-david-eddings/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-ruby-knight-by-david-eddings/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 13:32:42 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26544Michael's back with the second book in the excellent Elenium series. It's The Ruby Knight by David Eddings! Spoilers for Book 01 inside!

This week I’m covering the sequel to The Diamond Throne! It’s The Ruby Knight by David Eddings.

Plot Synopsis: Sir Sparhawk and his companions seek the Bhelliom, a powerful magical artifact in the form of a sapphire carved in the shape of a rose, the only object with enough power to cure the rare poison administered to Queen Ehlana. The Bhelliom was last known to have been mounted on the Crown of the Thalasian King Sarak.

Plot: The plot gets much better and I really do enjoy this series, it may have standard fantasy tropes, but damn does it pull them off well. Expect even more casual violence in this book than the last one.

Characters: Not much of the cast is changed, although we get to meet a few new people like Kring and his Peloi. My favorite three are still unchanged from Talen Kurik and Ulath though with Sparhawk close behind them.

Overall: This is a great sequel to The Diamond Throne and it sets up the cast for the climax in Book 03!

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/book-series-wednesday-the-ruby-knight-by-david-eddings/feed/0Video Game Tuesday: Randomized Content and Replayabilityhttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-randomized-content-and-replayability/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-randomized-content-and-replayability/#commentsTue, 26 May 2015 13:32:14 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26523Michael's back with another look into how games are being made and what is truly randomized and what is just a virtual deck of cards for this week's Video Game Tuesday. It's all about Replayablity!

This week I’m going to talk about a content that is very contentious in the gaming industry for this week’s Video Game Tuesday! It’s all about Randomized Content and Replayability!

What is Randomized Content: Randomized Content is content that is not actually random, it just has a set of outcomes that vary each time the operation is run, usually meaning each time the player enters the content’s area. What does this mean for replayablity? In the best cast scenario it means that after about 5 times the number of outcomes (5 x Y where Y is the total number of outcomes) before it becomes no longer “Random” and it loses all sense of being random to the user. I’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth bringing up with the soon to be released No Man’s Sky and it’s Procedurally Generated Content engine.

What is Procedurally Generated Content?: Procedurally Generated Content, or PGC for short or incredibly lazy types like myself, is essentially a system of equations that produce a pretty much random variation infinitely. Minecraft is a good example of PGC as each seed world is different if you choose to have it be random, no two worlds are exactly alike, sure there may be a Temple near a Village always but that’s part of the equations.

What does this have to do with Replayability?: Recently Bungie released Destiny’s second expansion The House of Wolves with the highlight being the Prison of Elders which is randomized each time a player enters. It’s really not, as I state above, and after a short amount of time everything will go back to the same grind. If they really wanted it to be random they’d have to do something like Diablo 3’s Rift System where it’s a random dungeon every time you enter and even then after a few thousand times through the rifts you’ll start seeing the patterns. Given how fast people played through Destiny’s content I’m disappointed in the lack of foresight on Bungie’s part, but that’s a story for another day.

So what it boils down to is if you want to really play a randomized game you need to play something like Minecraft and hopefully soon No Man’s Sky, don’t take the marketing bullcrap about randomized content at face value.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/video-game-tuesday-randomized-content-and-replayability/feed/0Bloodborne Gets The Blood Boiling, And Flowinghttp://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/bloodborne-gets-the-blood-boiling-and-flowing/
http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/bloodborne-gets-the-blood-boiling-and-flowing/#commentsMon, 25 May 2015 13:41:16 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26487Bloodborne is one of the most challenging and visceral games ever created, yet the darkly medieval world is dripping with atmosphere, and begging players to come and brave its every dark corner. Are you up for the challenge?

I suppose I should start off by saying that I’m not a veteran Souls player. I did play Dark Souls a bit on the PC, but the conversion was fairly bad from the console so I didn’t really get what I think would have been an otherwise good experience. Now we have Bloodborne, which is being released as an exclusive PlayStation 4 title. It features a different mechanic that is supposed to appeal more to console and dare I say, casual players, yet maintains the core Souls feel. In many ways, the game is a masterpiece. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the right purchase, or even a good one, for everybody.

Given that I am really the targeted audience for Bloodborne, or at least someone they want to play it, I figured I would tackle the review. Basically I’ve played games my whole life and am comfortable with them, but have never really been into Souls. If you fall into the same boat and want to see if Bloodborne is right for you, then read on and see if you are up for the, very difficult, challenge.

Bloodborne is set up as a third person hack and slash RPG, though it’s much different than anything else in that same genre. Unlike most RPGs, your choice of character and indeed play style is very limited. The game is set up to have you become an in-your-face fighter going toe to toe with everything you meet. No other style of play will work. You can’t become a tank or hide behind a big shield like a knight. There are no effective ranged combat classes, and no spell-flipping mages need apply. You have to play it hard and fast and get bloody, dodging when you can and parrying with, of all things, a pistol.

Your character has two main weapon slots, one for a bladed weapon, and one for a gun. At times you can get weapons other than guns for your off-hand, but it’s pretty much a bladed weapon and pistol setup. Unlike most games however, the gun is used mostly to parry, not to actually damage enemies. It will take a few hit points away from them, but since many have hundreds – bosses have thousands – of life points, that’s not where you will be making your dent. Instead, the pistol is used to interrupt enemy actions, effectively parrying blows. This sometimes stuns them for a few seconds, allowing you to move in and get a visceral attack that does a lot of damage. Figuring out exactly when to shoot to interrupt an enemy, and especially when you can actually stun them by doing so, is a key to surviving more than a couple minutes in Bloodborne. And you sure won’t get past any of the bosses if you don’t. Unfortunately, the only way to figure this out is by painful trial and error, and lots and lots of deaths.

These creepy skeleton babies are actually your allies in Bloodborne. Called Messengers, these little guys will teleport you around the world to unlocked portals.

The game also forces you to fight up front because each time you are hit, you have a few seconds to respond with blows to your opponent. Each time you hit them back within that window of time, you regain health like some kind of combat vampire. You can often heal completely back to full if you land a flurry of blows against someone who just clocked you. But the window for that to happen is limited, so again, you have to more or less be up in your opponent’s face for the combat.

When you die, you lose any blood echoes (which are basically experience points and money both in this game) that you were carrying, which are gathered by slaughtering foes. You can go back to the point where you died and re-collect them. They will either be on the ground or picked up by a nearby enemy, which will then have glowing eyes so you can spot the thief. If you die again before you can retrieve them, they are gone for good. But if you get them back, it’s like nothing ever happened. Unfortunately, all the monsters are resurrected each time you die, so there may be a lot of hard-fighting road that you have to reconquer to get back to where you missed that parry (which is the most likely cause of death early on). Having the monsters constantly re-spawn is more than a little annoying, but you can use it to your advantage, since it means you can farm a level over and over again, collecting blood echoes which can be spent on upgrading your gear and improving your character’s statistics.

The bigger they are, well, the harder they are to kill, generally speaking. But they do fall hard too eventually.

Once you feel you have enough blood echoes, you can find one of a limited number of portals that returns you to the Hunter’s Dream area, which is a safe place where you can buy weapons and upgrade your character. Returning to the dream also resets all the monsters in the game, so doing so is not without a little bit of a penalty, though you can also use this to spam your way through levels, spend your blood money and then run through it again and again.

The plot of the game is mostly hidden from the player. I’m told that hardcore Souls players like this and I did find it kind of interesting. I even started to come up with my own story about why I was there, but being really into story in a game, I really wanted a lot more clues as to what the heck was going on. Your character is supposed to be affected with some condition called Pale Blood, and you are adventuring in this twisted, dark world to try and find a cure for that. In fact, Yharnam is a city that drinks blood for healing and recreational purposes, as creepy as that sounds. The problem is that somewhere along the line the blood got tainted, and the people turn into monsters.

However, for you, being infused with special blood is what powers your abilities and may be helping with your original condition. You find a note in the first room that basically says to go out and explore the world. I suspect there is actually something clever going on under the surface with the relationship between the hunters (you) and the monsters, but finding that link will take a very long time for most people to discover, probably too long to keep many player’s interest. Compared to a game like The Witcher III, which puts a compelling main plot right in your face from the state, Bloodborne only grudgingly gives up its plot, and requires quite a lot of work to get there. For better or worse is for you to decide.

It may look really cool, but its more than just a backdrop. If you can see it, you can normally visit it eventually.

The game is beautiful, and the levels are all very well done with some amazing detail. In fact, you can stand on bridges or high buildings and look out across the landscape and see where you will be going. For the most part, everything rendered is really in the world, not just some pretty background. There are also quite a few details that are hidden, like shortcuts through levels that can only be found by exploring every little nook and cranny of Yharnam, and breaking boxes, coffins and anything else that gets in your way. I do love games that reward players who seek out Easter eggs and it’s practically a full-fledged egg hunt here. There are also many cool little details, like cloaks billowing in the wind at the right time, or blood soaking your leather armor as you fight more and more creatures, and get increasingly drenched in it.

The sound is also top notch including all the (somewhat limited) voice acting and the musical scores during some of the battles is really epic. In addition to that, all the monsters make various spooky noises, both when they are fighting you and when they think they are alone.

One of the cooler weapons in the game is the sword cane which transforms into a bladed chain. It does less damage than most weapons, but is very quick, and quite stylish.

Let’s get down to the difficulty, which is likely going to be the biggest sticking point for most players, and the biggest fear for most players thinking about getting into the Souls series or Bloodborne specifically. There are no difficulty sliders or options in the game. Assume that it’s set on Hard, or at least a level above Normal compared to almost every other title. Personally, I find that when walking around levels, that the difficulty is fierce, but fair. If you run around like an idiot, you are going to get overwhelmed. Instead, Bloodborne forces you to take things slowly, checking your corners, squinting to see through smoke and even looking up and down from time to time. Often the game will hide enemies ready to ambush you when you pass, or will give you the opportunity to take on large groups more one on one if you take your time and look for openings. Fighting multiple opponents is possible if you are really good, but should probably be avoided as much as possible for most people. Exploring the levels is actually one of the most fun parts of the game, at least the first few times before everything respawns yet again on you.

The boss battles however are a different story. To me, it seems like From Software just purposely made them to be near impossible in difficulty. It’s like they forgot that the point of playing games is to have fun in some cases. That said, you can probably defeat most bosses if you are willing to put in a lot, and I mean a lot, of time trying to do it. Then again, it depends on your play style to some extent. For me, the first boss battle, the Cleric Beast, was pretty darn scary, but I was able to learn his patterns (he’s pretty slow) and defeat him in three tries. I felt pretty darn good about that, but learned that he was actually an optional boss. Who knew? At least he drops a badge that lets you purchase a really nice weapon back at the Hunter’s Dream.

Hey big guy, you need to lay off the Cheetos a bit. These biggens are actually one of the most challenging of the early normal monsters you will meet.

The second boss, and the first one you actually have to fight, was a different story for me. Called Father Gascoigne, he is actually a hunter like you who has turned all the way into a monster. He’s quick and damaging, and armed with a huge axe with a lot of reach and a shotgun type pistol. I did my best, trying to stagger him and get visceral attacks in, but his quick pistol and reach, plus speed, kept doing me in. I died over 20 times trying various strategies and was about to give up, rather pissed off that perhaps 90 percent of the game was locked off from me. Here is a $60 title that I essentially wasted my money on since I never thought I would get out of the first area.

So I started grinding the first level that I could get to. I learned how to fight each creature in it, including how to kill that giant pig in the sewers who is almost a boss in itself, but which can be cheat killed if you sneak around behind it. I collected blood echoes and leveled up my character, especially vitality so I could hang for longer and make more mistakes without dying, and my weapons to get just a bit more damage in with successful strikes (and more healing when doing a riposte.) And I was learning the game mechanics.

This place looks fancy. Good thing I wore my formal armor.

It took another couple tries, but this time I was able to take out Father Gascoigne. He is also part of a quest in the game, so if you explore everywhere you can get to, you will eventually find a little girl who will give you an item that makes fighting him, especially in the last third of the fight when he transforms into a true beast, a lot easier.

Oddly enough, the third boss I came across, after going through the really interesting lower city level, didn’t give me that much of a challenge. By then I had found a semi-secret area and obtained a rifle spear, which has one of the biggest reaches in the game, which made the fight with the Blood-Starved Beast a lot easier. But all that grinding taught me a lot about the game. I’m still not going to call myself an expert, but I feel reasonably confident at going through levels and finding secrets, and don’t totally wipe out each time I find a new boss.

So there you have the facts good hunter. Will you join me in the waking world? The choice is yours.

So is Bloodborne the game for you? If you are easily frustrated, I would say no. Bloodborne makes you work for everything you get in the game, even uncovering snippets of the story is no easy task. And it offers no fallback. You can’t adjust the difficulty. If you can’t hack it, the game makes no apologies and is happy to leave you behind. I can see a lot of people just tossing their controller down in frustration and saying the hell with it. But if you stick with it, I think it can be very rewarding, and even fun. The game is well-made and really gets the blood boiling, it’s just going to be a very slow boil for most players, especially those not familiar with the Souls mechanic or overall gameplay philosophy. So there you go. It’s a fun title and can be rewarding, but it’s very unforgiving. Play at your own risk, and good luck to you if you give it a try.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/game-review/bloodborne-gets-the-blood-boiling-and-flowing/feed/0Manga Monday: Zetman by Masakazu Katsurahttp://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-zetman-by-masakazu-katsura/
http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-zetman-by-masakazu-katsura/#commentsMon, 25 May 2015 13:32:22 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26502Michael is back with a series he recently began reading and while he enjoys it, it's definitely out of his usual genres. It's time to be terrified of Zetman by Masakazu Katsura!

This week on Manga Monday I’m covering a series that I recently read and enjoyed. It’s Zetman by Masakazu Katsura!

Plot Synopsis: The story starts off with a face-off between two rival heroes, ZET and Alfaaz, and then traces their origins.

Plot: The plot is incredibly dark and gritty, and if you are expecting anything happy in this series you’ll be disappointed. I thought Gantz was a screwed up series prior to reading this and than realized that it pales in comparison to Zetman. There are very violent scenes in this series, including scenes of Rape, Murder, Lots of Gore etc. This is not a kid’s series.

Characters: I enjoy most of the cast, because nearly all of them are believable, except for the monsters who are just plain terrifying and will probably give you nightmares. Jin and Kouga are two sides of a coin and it’s interesting to see them interact with their differing ideals.

Art: It’s dark, gritty and totally suits the series. It’s also really freaking detailed, which is probably part of why it’s such a good series.

Overall: If you can get over the hyper violent nature of the series, it’s got an amazing plot that will twist your hearstrings and make you more empathetic for humanity, at least for those of us that aren’t idiots or asshats to the rest of the world.

]]>http://www.gameindustry.com/gamer-blogs/manga-monday-zetman-by-masakazu-katsura/feed/0Telltale Unveils New Game Of Thrones Episodehttp://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/telltale-unveils-new-game-of-thrones-episode/
http://www.gameindustry.com/news-industry-happenings/telltale-unveils-new-game-of-thrones-episode/#commentsSun, 24 May 2015 17:40:48 +0000http://www.gameindustry.com/?p=26510Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series tells the story of House Forrester. Caught up in the events of The War of the Five Kings, they are placed in a precarious position.

]]>Based on the award-winning HBO television drama series, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series tells the story of House Forrester. Caught up in the events of The War of the Five Kings, they are placed in a precarious position where members of the household must do everything they can to prevent the house from meeting its doom.

The fourth of six episodes in the series, ‘Sons of Winter’ will be available starting Tuesday, May 26th on PC/Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, as well as the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in North America (SCEA) and Europe (SCEE). The episode will be available on Wednesday, May 27th on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will be coming to compatible iOS devices via the App Store and to Android-based devices on May 28th.

The game series is based on the world, characters and events seen in HBO’s TV show, which in turn is based on George R. R. Martin’s books (A Song of Ice and Fire). The events in the game series begin towards the end of Season Three of the series, and end right before the beginning of Season Five. Players will visit familiar locations such as King’s Landing and The Wall, as well as unfamiliar locations such as Ironrath, the home of House Forrester.

The game is played from five different points of view. Each is a member of House Forrester; either a direct family member, or a person in service to the House. Scattered across Westeros and Essos, each will play their part in seeking to save House Forrester from destruction.

In Episode 4, the fate of the scattered Forresters hangs in the balance, and no one allied with the family is safe. An unexpected meeting offers Rodrik a new opportunity to free Ironrath from its Whitehill stranglehold, but with young Ryon Forrester still held prisoner, his next moves are critical. Gared must abandon Castle Black and venture beyond the Wall in search of the mysterious North Grove, risking encounters with Wildlings and worse. In King’s Landing, the population is reeling from a recent royal death, and Mira must step carefully in an increasingly complex game of politics where secrets are traded as currency. Far away in Essos, Asher infiltrates the slave city of Meereen at the behest of Daenerys Targaryen, but will the friendship he holds dear break under the strain of a mission that raises memories best forgotten?